Walking Through the Dark with a Dead Flashlight
by AdamasintheRough
Summary: All I wanted was to go home and finish my homework. I never wanted this. I never wanted to almost get hit by a speeding car, never wanted to get saved by a REALLY handsome man, never wanted to be bothered again. But it wasn't my choice. It was never my choice. My only question is... why is that dude still following me? Rated T for language. Slight AU, and some Oc's!
1. Chapter 1

**Hell** **ooo, everyone! Welcome to my first fanfic! I really hope all you guys enjoy! Please read and review, no one be sneakin', alright? Besides, if you guys want faster updates, reviews are a big boost in enthusiasm. Also, if you guys want another update, how about... 6 reviews? I** **don't** **want this to be a forgotten, terrible reject, but if it is, I would like to know. Spamming the archive isn't something I wanna do.**

 _ **SO THERE WON'T BE ANOTHER CHAPTER IF 6 REVIEWS IS NOT HIT!**_

 **Note:** **I do not swear, but my oc's and others do to make the story a little more realistic.**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **I do not own Transformers (that would be** **AWESOME** **though), I only own my oc's and the plot you don't know about.**

 **Ahem, anyways... (jumps off metaphorical cliff) GERONIMO!**

* * *

Chapter 1

In Which I See a Huge Ass Truck and Get Saved By Said Truck

...

A sunny day.

That is, what it currently was at this time, hanging in the sky above already roasted Tranquil, Nevada.

It was that type of sunny day where the clouds weren't completely gone, just avoiding the area above your town, wisping by without a single thought, that would be, if they could have thoughts.

It was the kind of day that would give you nostalgia, make you think about the days you would play tag with your parents and swing on the swings in your backyard, laughing at anything and everything.

And I hated it.

Hated it with a passion.

It just wasn't fair, that such a beautiful day could make me feel so guilty about. Absolutely. Nothing.

I was getting shoved and bumped into on my way out of the school by howling, hyperactive guys, excited by the fact there was another party tonight.

It was easy to miss me, only being 5"3 compared to all the other 5"9 girls.

Speaking of girls, they were all somehow weaving their way through the mass of teenagers, while texting rapidly on their phones. How the shit can they do that?

Well I, on the other hand, was completely occupied by trying to find an opening in the giant, hormonal crowd, hoping to finally escape to the weekend.

It had been a long day. Well, longer than usual. I had forgotten to write an English essay and had lost over 5 and a half hours of sleep I needed; there was a pop quiz, too (and I'm pretty sure I failed that), which made my day all the more worse.

By the time I was finally freed, I was only about 3 blocks away from home. I was sitting at the little intersection in the middle of town, waiting for the light to signal a safe cross for me. The setting was the same as always.

Two tiny little cafes (which one of sells great muffins)sit comfortably right next to each other with a dress shop to the left of them on the left corner. A bar and grill called "The Office" to the right of that; currently closed. An antique shop on the right corner, and a tattoo shop behind me; all of which had a second story apartment above them. There was also a diner, 3 pizzerias, a Dunkin Donuts, a subway shop, a hardware store, and at the end, a repair shop. How convenient.

The traffic wasn't to bad either, seeing as it wasn't rush hour yet. The wind from on going vehicles gently shaking the poorly taken care of trees, if that's what you would call them.

There were some runner's, too; preparing for the marathon a month from now.

There were also some cars, which sat alongside the road parked, waiting for their driver's to finish whatever business they had.

Nothing had changed. And yet...

Who the fuck would buy such a big truck?

I mean, really? This thing is fucking **MASSIVE.** It was taking up almost half the road!

How the chocolate shake did I miss it before? WAS it ever there before?

Tourist's don't seldom come, but it happens. They just don't usually come to this little town surrounded by almost nothing. There's no point really.

I couldn't tell the exact model, not being a car person (but I will say there are some cars that could convince me to be one), but I can say it was a GMC, seeing as it was labeled in big letters across the grill.

The big, black monstrosity was settled (albeit, sightly cramped) behind a small, red Fiat.

And the scene was truly hilarious.

If cars could have facial expressions, this truck would look ready to murder someone.

I chuckled aloud.

The light finally turned green, and I began my short trek across the street, still lost in my thoughts. A little _too_ lost.

The screeching of tires and the cries of sirens filled my hearing, shaking me from stupor, but it was too late to react.

I whipped my head around to see a car veering around the corner UNUSALLY fast.

"Oh, fu..."

My instincts (and _common_ _sense_ ) took over and I jumped, tucking my knees as far as I could into my chest. I'd rather roll over a car and land hard on the pavement than break my legs, not doing anything.

I clenched my eyes closed, expecting to feel the hood of the car against my back or windshield break beneath me.

But it never came.

Instead, a strange noise inundated my hearing, replacing everything but my own rapidly beating heart. It sounded like a... sparkler? Whatever it was, it stopped shortly after wards something even stranger happened.

Strong arms grabbed my curled form; one arm slipping around my shoulder, the other around my waist, tucking me into an EXTREMELY well built chest.

Really, Beth? Really, you could have _DIED_ , and that's what you're thinking about? Jeez...

Wind blew past my face, tangling my already unbrushed hair in front of my face. Wow, that's fast.

My back was gently placed upon the pavement, dirty blonde hair pooling around my head, when I assumed we were out of harms way.

The strange hands were removed from me and placed on the pavement next to their original positions.

I peeked open one eye, not at all expecting what I saw.

Blue eyes. The bluest to ever blue. I am NOT kidding. They were a deep, dark blue; as if it was the depths of the sea itself. Is that even humanly possible?

And that was the first thing I noticed.

And holy vanilla was this guy handsome.

His hair was black, not very long, and it was slightly ruffled (probably from the wind), but the look suited him. He looked within his late twenties and his features were fair, even and at the same time rough. Military. It has to be.

He grunted and stood up.

He was tall, about 6"2 and really well built. His outfit consisted of a black shirt, with a black leather jacket over it; he also had dark blue jeans on over a black pair combat boots. Not very into colors, are ya? _Not that I mind..._ **SHUT UP!**

He offered a hand but I refused. No way was I gonna let my hormones get anymore out of hand.

I pushed myself off the ground. All the sounds came rushing back. Police sirens could still be heard alongside shouts and extravagant curses.

"Next time be more cautious of your surroundings."

Douchebag discovered. Damn, I should've known there'd be a catch.

And that voice... holy crap, it sent shivers down my spine. That _never happens._ It was an evenly mixed concoction between an American accent and British accent. It was deep, too. _And that's another weakness of mine..._ Awww, crap.

But before I knew it, I had vocalized my own words

"Well, I hope that you are aware of the fact that _that_ _car_ was speeding. There is no CONCIEVIBLE way I would have been fast enough too avoid it. MAYBE you could, but I CAN'T." An amused glint appeared in those pools. Why is he being sooo... obliging? Noo, casual? No... _Why can't I put my finger on it?_

"Is that any way to treat your savior?" _Oh_ , _you_ _have_ _no_ _idea_... wait, NO, _**NO.**_ BAD BETH! _**BAD!**_

Thankfully, I had a retort in mind.

"Savior? You saved me from some cuts, bruises and a sore back." Awww... fuck me, he's smirking.

No Bethany, _**NO**_. You just met him! And don't fuck me.

And since when was I so confident?

He looked at me expectantly, as if he was waiting for some sort of apology.

 _Sorry to disappoint you dude, but that is not happening._

I take a deep breath and sigh, tilting my head to the right, looking down the road. Is he still looking at me? He's still looking at me...

"Thank you..." I turned my head back around and he was gone.

Well... that was cliché as FUCK.

Like something straight out of Twilight. Unfortunately.

"Well," I mutter "better get home..." walking away from the scene, not at all paying attention to the warmth emanating from the sizable beast as I passed by.

* * *

"Bets! Bets?..." 3 hours, that's how long it's been..."BETHANY!"

"Oh, CHOCOLATE FUDGE!" I whipped around too see who had assaulted my poor eardrums. _Damnit, Annie..._

"You can turn off your swear filter, you know that right? Mrs. Rosette isn't around." Her footsteps were quiet on the tile as she came closer and wrapped her arms around my shoulders leisurely.

"Yeah, but you are. Shouldn't you be doing your homework?"3 hours since I started my homework at the kitchen countertop. Why do older kids get more homework? We have more responsibilities to take care of other than homework.

Her golden blonde hair fell over her shoulder, falling on mine as well.

The contrast was very noticeable. While her's was straight, bright and only a shade darker than a true blonde's; mine was wavy (from not brushing it) and only a shade brighter than a true brunette.

Our eyes were a different matter. We both had hazel eyes.

"I finished it an hour ago. I just wanted to finish my drawing. Do you still have homework to do?"

"Nah, I'm just staring at random pieces of paper," I sassed back. "Yes, I do. And I'm almost done. Why?"

"I wanna watch Netflix. Also, Mrs. Rosette is makin' meatloaf tonight." _Ahh, that's why._

Mrs. Rosette is our caretaker/ maid, though more of a mother figure than anything else.

She was the one who made sure we did our wretched homework; the one who made sure we brushed our teeth before bed; the one who came to our soccer games. The one who cared for us and wiped our tears away when we missed mommy and daddy.

She's the one who looked after me and my 14 year old sister, Annalyn; since our parents left for their 'vacation'. 6 years ago.

The crazy, neatfreak Latina; who was dreadful at cooking, taking care of rebel 11 year old and a clueless 9 year old.

And she did. She did it perfectly.

"So you want Mac n' Cheese?"

"I want Mac n' Cheese," she reaffirmed.

"Annie wants Mac n' Cheese. Got it. Just let me finish first."

"Okay. Call me when you're done," she requested. She turned around and headed back upstairs to her room, to text her friends, most likely.

I looked down back at my paper, which was filled to the brim with scribbles and erased answers. _I know the answer to this right off the top of my head. My school really is full of idiots._ _Not excluding the teachers._

I picked up the dulling #2 pencil, and began to write.

And then my pencil broke.

"Shit," I murmured, looking at the faulty writing tool, "There goes another pencil." Tossing the now broken pencil away, I got up to grab another.

" **BETHANY** **MIRANDA** **LEERAN!** **WHAT DID I SAY?** _ **WHAT**_ _ **DID I SAY?!"**_ I froze. _CRAAAPPP..._

"To not swear in the house," I replied briskly, hoping to somehow avoid the tempest's wrath.

I didn't succeed.

The, tall, skinny, frizzy dark haired woman stormed through the door and around the corner. Her face was twisted in an angry grimace, upset with what I had said.

" _Yes,_ " she said venomously, "And if you don't listen, I'll warm your bum with the wooden spoon. Do you understand?" Her accent was thick, but it was still simple to understand her.

"Yes, Mrs. Rosette. I understand."

"Good. Now, I overheard something about Mac n' Cheese?"She questioned. Her face immediately relaxed back into it's usual, smiling face. _Wow, that was fast..._

"Yeah, I promised Annie I would make some."

She took a deep breath and sighed.

"I suppose you shouldn't break your promise, then," she sighed again, "So come along now, hurry up. I'll start boiling the water for you." She grabbed a pot from under the island counter, filled it up with water. She then proceeded to place it on the stove and turn on the burner. Her back was to me.

"So did anything interesting happen today at school, novia?" _Sweetheart. That's always been her nickname for us._

"Same old, same old. Had a pop quiz today, but that's about it." She turned and walked around the table' heels clicking against the cold tile, and sat next to me.

"Really?" she inquired, "Nothing?"

"Yep." I responded. Nothing.

 _Nothing at all..._

* * *

 **Welp... that's the end of the first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed Bethany so far. All of my oc's (well, the ones I have so far) relate to me in some shape or form. I know not much has happened, but I did that on purpose; to make you curious and come back for more. :-b It's strategy, I tell you, STRATEGY!**

 **If you have any writing tips, they will be gladly accepted. RUDE COMMENTS WILL NOT BE GLADLY ACCEPTED. IF YOU DON' T LIKE IT DON'T READ IT! Simple as that.**

 **POLL: There is a poll on my profile page. I want to see if people want: a relationship where Beth is unaware of Cybertronians and holoforms, a relationship where she is aware of Cybertronians and the fact Ironhide is one; but not of holoforms and the fact that Ironhide has one, or a relationship where she is aware of both Cybertronians and holoforms; and the fact the Ironhide has one and is a Cybertronian.**

 **Please vote! This is detrimental to the plot of the story!**

 **I do not have a beta reader, so if you're bored and a beta, PM me please.**

 _ **DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW!**_

 _~Adamas_ _out._


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi ya, everyone! First off, I am SO BAFFELED by the response I got. I honestly did not expect to hit 6 reviews. I really didn't. And I also kinda felt bad because 6 reviews for one chapter was a LOT to ask for. BUT HEY! WE DID IT! So thank you sooooo much!**

 **Second off; before any confusion sets in, I have no clue about the precise date in which Transformers takes place, but I'm guessing I takes place between September and November of the year 2007. If I'm wrong, please inform me. The date that this story started on was January 19th, 2008. Also, I am aware of the fact that Jurassic World was in the theaters this year (2015). Things like this will happen quite often in this fanfic, for example a song from 2013 in the year 2008. Wibbley-wobbley timey-wimey. _Hehe..._**

 **And third of all, I would like to thank...**

 **Faith Woodhope,** **koekiemonster (guest),** **CarsCars2Fanatic,** **Moonlightdeer,** **Gotta Dance 88,** **and** **Kaida Fury** **for being my first reviewers!**

 **Enjoy! Don't forget to read and review!  
**

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Chapter 2

In Which I Have a Weird Ass Dream and Consider Whether Or Not I'm Being Stalked

…

 _In the Previous Chapter..._

"So did anything interesting happen at school today, novia?" _Sweetheart. That's always been her nickname for us._

"Same old, same old. Had a pop quiz today, but that's about it." She turned and walked around the table, heels clicking against the cold tile, and sat next to me.

"Really?" she inquired, "Nothing?"

"Yep," I responded. Nothing.

 _Nothing at all..._

…

 _ **1 week later...**_

 _I was floating, hung in inanimate suspension surrounded with nothing but darkness. And it was cold._

 _I shivered._

 _Where was I? WHO was I? I couldn't seem to remember._

 _I searched around, hoping to find a clue, but the darkness yielded nothing. And then I searched my own thoughts, but all I found was confusion. One question standing out the most._

 _What the fuck am I supposed to do?_

 _I hung for what felt like a thousand years in 4 seconds._

 _And then I finally got answers._

 _ **Name: Bethany Leeran**_

 _ **Age: 17 years**_

 _ **Description: Brown hair, hazel eyes, 134 pounds, 5"2 ½** HEY! I'M 5"3!_

 _ **Biological Parents: Joesph and Sarah Leeran**_

 _ **Siblings: Annalyn (Age: 14), Christopher (Deceased)** How... only my parents, Mrs. Rosette and me know about... that... wait, know about _what _?_

 _What is going on?_

 _ **Status:** _ Status? _**Paired**_ PAIRED?!

 _ **Mate:** WHAT THE ABSOLUTE EFF... **Ir-**_

"WAKE UP!"

The warm covers were ripped from my criss-crossed limbs and a small form pounced on me.

"Ugghh... What do you want?" _Damn you, Annie. I'm gonna get payback._

"Did you really forget?" she questioned "Wow. That never happens. You always remember." She shifted off of me and the bed and stood. She was wearing blue skinny jeans, a scarlet crop top with a blue leaves and branches stretching across the right side. She had a black tanktop underneath that with a brown leather belt around her waist. She also wore a multicolored friendship bracelet next to a cheap silver watch, and she wore a small, pink jeweled cross pendant around her throat.

She was thin. Not sickly thin, more like... eats a lot, but just has a really fast metabolism. Yeah, that's it.

I wasn't the same. I wasn't thin. I was, in a sense, fit, but not thin. For example, if you shoved me hard, I wouldn't fall. I would shove you back. I wasn't hurt very easily. High pain tolerance? Maybe.

Alright, back on track.

What did I forget? I looked around and my eyes landed on the calender on my door.

 _January 26th._ Oh. _Oh._ Hehe, woops. It's her birthday.

"Sorry, Annie. Happy birthday!" _Now I feel terrible..._ I gave a large yawn. She gave a wry smile.

"What time is it?" I asked cautiously. I broke my alarm clock 3 times in a row, so Mrs. Rosette just gave up on ordering them.

"11:45. So hurry up, I wanna see Jurassic World, it's at 12:30," she responded cheerfully. It was tradition. You pick a movie you wanna see, theater or not, go to restaurant of choice for lunch, buy some ice cream, come home, order pizza, and watch Netflix until 11:00. And we LOVED it.

"Alrighty then, just let me take a shower first."

"Yeah, the world isn't ready for it's first real monster sighting. Especially after Mission City." _You sassy ass motherfucker. You better watch it._

The attack on Mission City was a weird one. Hallucinogens? Ones that make everyone see the same thing? For a terrorist attack? Seems slightly suspicious to me. But I wasn't there, so I don't know.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," I stood and walked up over to my closet. My clothes would usually be on the floor, but Mrs. Rosette (who can't stand messes) insisted I clean it. Scratch that, more like threatened.

With a spoon.

Annie then left me to my business as she skipped out the door. I walked into the bathroom down the hall and turned on the water.

* * *

After my shower (which left me smelling like watermelon), I dressed myself in my casual attire. It consisted of boot leg jeans, a blue and gray, mid-sleeve baseball shirt with a navy blue zip-up hoodie on top. Simple and functional.

Looking in the mirror, I examined my features.

Round almond eyes were the color of green and brown, the green standing out more. One would only be able to see the dark circles under my eyes if they focused extremely hard. I had a button nose and soft pink cupid lips. My cheeks were flushed red, making me appear a drunkard or a constantly blushing anime character. My genetics were to blame for that. My light brown hair was pulled up into a loose ponytail, with the fringes too short to fit into the ponytail, but long enough to hang down the side of my face and get in my eyes. Very annoying.

My body figure was something of a mystery to explain, but I'll try my best.

My shoulders were wider than average, but my chest size made up for that. They weren't big, they weren't small, so I couldn't complain. My waist wasn't small either, but I had curves due to bigger hips. And if you're wondering, yes my thighs touch. It's not that strange of a thing.

My legs were long, despite my height, and my feet were so small, they could put Cinderella to shame. Yeah, that small.

Well, enough of that now. It's time to go see a T-Rex.

* * *

"That. Was. _**AWESOME!**_ " Annie exclaimed.

"I'm glad. Didn't want to waste forty-five dollars on nothing. What was your favorite part?" I asked. It'll keep her occupied until we get to her restaurant of choice, that being Wendy's. Annie was a cheapo and satisfied easily.

"I really liked the part... ," She then began to ramble on about the movie as we walked to our car. I opened the white door, hopped into the driver's seat and slipped the keys into the ignition. We weren't very much into romance movies, let alone romance in reality. We both preferred sci-fi and action. Maybe even horror. We both just wanted something to put us on the edge of ours seats.

And what you're about to read would do just that. Maybe. I don't know.

It had been 30 minutes since the movies ended and we had just finished our meal from Wendy's (Annie was satisfied just as planned). I had just walked out of a small local convenience store with a plastic bag with 2 tubs of ice cream inside, when I saw _**it**_ out of the corner of my eye.

My blood froze. I almost dropped the ice cream, too.

 _Awww, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck..._

My brain continued its mental torrent of swearing as I examined the sight closer.

The huge titan of a truck from a week ago; which sat at the edge of the parking lot to my right, stood seemingly proud and intimidating. And it was. But that wasn't what caught my attention.

It was the man leaning against it that did.

 _Compensating for something, dude?_ I can't believe I just thought that.

He wearing a dark gray shirt with a familiar black leather jacket, dark blue jeans and black combat boots. He was handsome (I'm guessing 'cause he was looking at the road to his left), tall and muscular without a doubt, and he looked within his late twenties. _My hormones **really** need to shut up now._

It was the guy that saved me from a speeding idiot a week ago. _And boy, he is still as handsome as before..._ **SHUT.** _ **UP.**_

Wait, why is he just standing there? Is he waiting for something? Or someone?

He looked my way. No, not my way, straight at _me_. Direct eye contact. And it freaked the shit out of me. I almost physically jerked.

My hormone influenced side wanted to go over and speak with him, but my logical side wanted to flip him off. Why? 'Cause he was stalking me, that's why. Or was he?

It seems like it.

As my thought process tried to figure out what would be the best response would be, I felt a gaze sweep over me. Was he checking me out?

 _Pervert. Mind your own damn business._

Shivers wanted to come over me. No fucking way. I am **NOT** going through this again.

So I did the best thing possible. I broke my gaze off and stomped back to the car.

"Took you long enough. What were you doing in there? Did you actually get the ice cream?" _She didn't see that? Good, I would hate to explain that mess to her..._

"Of course I did. My memory isn't THAT bad," I tossed the bag into her lap.

"Yaaassss," she hissed, but I ignored her. My mind was occupied by a strange and uncomfortable thought.

 _Why is this random stranger making me act and **feel** so... differently?_

The possible answers didn't make me feel any better. _I'll just have to block it out as much as possible, then._

* * *

 **Sooo... how'd ya like that? There were a lot of different ideas running through my head writing this, but I did want to satisfy everyone so easily. BUT DON'T WORRY! You'll get what you want soon enough. I just want to make this as realistic as possible, because I've seen a lot of stories where the characters fall in love, realize they love each other and just go straight to the end. I don't want to do that. Real relationships need trust, and trust takes time to build. So that's why.**

 **Also, In the next chapter, I just might add a third person POV from Ironhide's view. So tell me if you want that or not.**

 **I know there are bound to be mistakes in this, but I tried to fix as many as I could find. So, if you're a beta and bored, PM me please.**

 **DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW!** **More reviews = faster updates. I'll try to at least. I'm really busy. I work more just trying to set off more free time.**

 _~Adamas out_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Welcome back (I'm to lazy to write the title :b)! This is kinda a filler chapter, but you learn a little more about the Leeran Family and the tragedies it has. I didn't want to make it TOO dramatic but Bethany has to have some sorta personal issue to deal with. It worries me how easily I can write them. (o_O)**

 **I just realized in this chapter a major mistake I've made. I was running on autopilot, focused on everything else that I missed it.**

 **Miss Rosette is single. She's not married. She isn't a 'Mrs.'**

 **Yup, that's the mistake I've made. I still can't believe it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, only my oc's and the plot you don't know about.**

 **I would like to thank...**

 _ **sylvia silverblood, Gotta Dance 88, and CarsCars2Fanatic**_ **FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **Gotta Dance 88:**_ **I'm glad you like the story. Beth is a part of me that I gave steroids to, essentially. My sarcastic, introverted side if y'all are wonderin' I added a couple of other things, too. But I'm not tellin' you what.**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **It is a cool tradition, isn't it? Nothing to flashy. Just like Beth's style.**

 **I'm going to do something and recommend a song to listen to while reading this chapter. That song being Counting Stars/ Timber by Sam Tsui. Do it. I dare you. You'll find out why.**

 **Remember! Reviews help A LOT! So read and review and no creepin'.**

 **Anyway... (clears throat) LET'S ROLL OUT!**

* * *

Chapter 3

In Which You Learn a Little Bit More About My Family and Me

…

 _In the Previous Chapter..._

So I did the best thing possible. I broke my gaze off and stomped back to the car.

"Took you long enough. What were you doing in there? Did you actually get the ice cream?" __She didn't see that? Good, I would hate to explain that mess to her...__

"Of course I did. My memory isn't THAT bad," I tossed the bag into her lap.

"Yaaassss," she hissed, but I ignored her. My mind was occupied by a strange and uncomfortable thought.

 _Why is this random stranger making me act and_ _ _ **feel**__ _so... differently?_

The possible answers didn't make me feel any better. __I'll just have to block it out as much as possible, then.__

 _…_

* * *

 _It was a Sunday morning. I knew it so well you couldn't tell me otherwise._

 _It was too quiet._

 _I shifted. Whatever I was laying on felt kinda stiff. The soft throw blanket slipped off and onto the floor._

 _So did I._

 _"Ooofff."_ _ _Thump.__ _"Owww...," I groaned. At least I landed on the blanket._

 _I had landed on my stomach and my hair was in my face._ _ _I really need to get a haircut.__

 _I brushed the loose ends out of my face and opened my eyes. It took a lot more effort than needed._

I sat up and took in the sight of the now-messy living room. _I fell asleep on the couch again, didn't I? Happens every year._

The living room was open to the kitchen, no walls or doors separating the two rooms. The kitchen floor was a dark, stone-like tile and then dipped into the living room, designating which room was which. The living room floor was made of glossy cherry wood and had a fanciful, detailed rug on it.

The living room consisted of a dark leather brown loveseat and an armchair. It wasn't much, but there were only three of us. The stairs were a ways behind the loveseat, with a table against them. A flatscreen TV sat against the wall in front of me in a cabinet with DVDs scattered across it. A glass coffee table was between the loveseat and the TV, with snacks dispersed upon its surface. There were some on the floor, too. _Hehe, what can I say? We like to party hard._

There was an endtable next to the loveseat, and it too had snacks on it alongside two photos in wooden frames.

The first photo was of Annie, me and Miss Rosette having a... food fight? I think that's what it was. We were all in the kitchen, holding something that looked like cake batter. _That was fun to clean up._

The second photo was of me, Annie, our parents, and... Christopher. Our dead brother. He was announced dead a couple of years back. It feels like forever ago, though. I still remember it like yesterday...

 _It was really hot outside today. And I mean REALLY hot. I might has well chucked myself in an oven._

 _I was in the process of filling up my water bottle for the sixth time, when an anxious knock was heard at the front door._

 _Now, I was alone at this time, Annie at her friends house while Miss Rosette was at her job, cleaning other houses in the neighborhood. So I was a little on edge. False word being "little."_

 _I grabbed a steak knife from the kitchen and walked to the door._

 _I peered through the peep hole and was surprised._

 _You see, we get salesmen quite often. Men dressed in suits were expected. Men dressed in military dress uniforms, however, were not._

 _I opened the door, figuring that a man protecting our country wouldn't harm those within that said country was sound logic._

 _It was easy to say he was surprised when 15 year-old me answered the door, placing a steak knife in my back pocket._

" _Excuse me miss," did he just called me 'miss'? "Are your parents home? I have something to deliver to them."_ Well that was rude.

Wait... deliver what?

" _Deliver what?" The soldier looked uneasy. He shifted uncomfortably._

" _Ummm..." a composed soldier would never say 'umm' "Are your parents home?" He reiterated. He seemed to be getting irritated._ I don't feel so good...

" _No," I responded emotionless, "They're not." He shifted again._

" _Then please give this to them when they do come home." He handed me a midsize cardboard box with a neatly sealed envelope on top._ Noo... it... it can't be...

" _Thank you, sir. Have a good day." He turned away with a forlorn glance and headed back to his black SUV._

 _Man, this box is heavy. Mentally and physically._

 _I took the box inside and sat on the leather loveseat._ Please don't let it be what I think it is...

 _I tore the envelope off the box and opened it up. It was sealed up tight and neat. It didn't help with what I was feeling. I pulled out the letter and began to read._

 **Dear Mr. and Mrs. Leeran,**

 **We regret to inform you that your son, Mr. Christopher Leeran, was killed in action on a mission recently assigned to the U.S.S. Airwrecka. He and his unit were killed due to a covert enemy attack at sea. With you're permission, the funeral will be held two weeks after this letter is received. Payments will not be necessary.**

 **We apologize for your loss. He will be missed and his courage will not be forgotten.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Sergeant Major Nicholas**

 _The letter slipped from my hands._ So he really is... gone.

 _The thought felt like poison. It stung and burn. And I didn't want to believe it. But it made sense. He hadn't called in 11 months._

 _But that didn't make it feel any better._

 _I just sat there, my face a blank slate, the only emotion in my eyes. They were watering. Things were blurry._

 _But I didn't cry. He wouldn't want me to. He would want me to laugh, smile. Be happy._

 _I wasn't going to let all his effort to make me happy again crumble like a sand castle. I wasn't._

 _So I stood up and walked behind the couch to the table against the wall where the stereo sat._

 _I turned on the Ipod sitting there and scrolled through the playlists._

 _I found one and put it on random. Then I hit play._

"Lately I been, I been losing sleep _  
_Dreaming about the things that we could be _  
_And baby, I been, I been prayin' hard _  
_Said no more counting dollars _  
_We'll be counting stars _  
_Yeah, we'll be counting stars"

 _It was my favorite. A mashup of Counting Stars and Timber sung by SamTsui. You wouldn't take me as the one for these types of songs, but I liked it. A lot._

"I see this life _  
_Like a swinging vine _  
_Swing my heart across the line _  
_In my face is flashing signs _  
_Seek it out and ye shall find"

 _I started to dance, my hands moving, hips swaying, and my legs stepping to the beat._

"Old, but I'm not that old _  
_Young, but I'm not that bold _  
_I don't think the world is sold _  
_I'm just doing what we're told

"And I feel something so right _  
_By doing the wrong thing _  
_And I feel something so wrong _  
_By doing the right thing

"It's going down, I'm yelling timber _  
_You better move, you better dance _  
_Let's make a night, you won't remember _  
_I'll be the one, you won't forget"

 _I didn't feel sad. I felt... happy. I was smiling. And I felt no guilt, none whatsoever..._

I focused back on reality, staring at the photo.

They didn't come. Mom and Dad. They were too "busy"- relaxing on a MOTHER. FUCKING. CRUISE.

And that's where they've been for the past 6 years. Cruising around the world, enjoying the sunshine, ignoring the fact that they had two kids at home- just because they _**could.**_

They were chiropractors for years. And the job poured in more money than they could handle.

They met each other at the college they went to, dated, got married, had a few kids, hired a maid to clean up after the kids and babysit them, payed off the house and the landlord, left about a million dollars in the bank for us to use for at-home needs, left almost twice that for our college fund, and left.

For the first few months, they would send postcards and stuffed animals, saying they missed us and loved us. Then it stopped.

It seemed as though they just kinda... forgot.

I suffered from depression for 7 months, still suffer from abandonment and trust issues, and almost committed suicide because I thought no one loved me and was a waste of space at the age of 12. And guess who saved me...

 _NOT MY FUCKING PARENTS, THAT'S FOR SURE!_

It was Mrs. Rosette. That's correct, my readers. MISS MOTHERFUCKING ROSETTE.

The woman whom we put through hell. The single, first-time-around-children, neatfreak woman who saved me from suicide.

The woman who loved me more than my own mother.

And Annie... _oh, Annie..._

The thin, blonde 12 year-old was stronger than I ever was.

After I was saved, I made sure she would never, _**never**_ feel alone again.

She was the star that guided me through the dark. When things were at their worst, we stood together. All three of us.

I couldn't ask for a better family.

And so it comes to me. What am I like?

I am me. The girl who at first glance looks emotionless and introverted and at the same time shows too _much_ emotion. The one who is probably the most clumsy person you'd ever meet. The person who says "ow" at almost anything, but laughs when there's a serious injury.

I'm the one who would make that out-of-nowhere sarcastic remark at your statement, and smile when you'd glare at me.

I'm the one who's silent in groups, and has better conversations with myself than anyone else. Except Annie and Miss Rosette, that is.

I can't tell you shit about cars, but I know a lot about my shows. I wear bootleg jeans instead of skinny jeans, and I swear upon my grave I am 5"3.

I am Bethany Miranda Leeran. And I'm about to tell you one hell of a story.

* * *

"Finally... I'm finished. That took a LOT longer than expected." I just finished cleaning the mess Annie and me made during our 'party' last night when I looked over to the stove. At least I thought I finished it.

"Shiiitttt. Really?" _I really hate it when that happens._ "You know what? No. NO. I am not cleaning anything else. Nope. Fuck that." I turned off the tap and walked into the now clean living room. I sat down on the couch and put an arm over my head. I was really tired.

The front door opened and closed.

The clicking of heels and soft taps of converse were heard down the hall.

"Bethany! We're home!" a young hyper voice called out. _Welcome back._

"I hope you didn't sit around on your bum doing nothing al- Oh good, you cleaned up after yourself." The Latina woman seemed tired but happy. _Another busy day._

"Yeah, of course I did. Thanks for the help, Annie!" Sarcasm was _dripping_ from my voice.

"You're very welcome, sis!"She came over and hugged me from behind the couch. After she sat down beside me and began texting on her phone. She really knows how to annoy someone, doesn't she? _She's your sister, what else would you expect?_

Point taken.

"Bethany?" Miss Rosette called.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Mrs. Willicky-"

"Witwicky," I corrected.

"Mrs. Witwicky is having a party tonight, and she wants you to come over." A party? Weird.

"Okay." Where is she going with this?

"You need to get out more often. It's not good for you to stay home and watch that Netflix all the time."

"It's better than getting drunk and pregnant," I deadpanned.

"True, but it is not that type of party."

"How do you know?" Kids don't tell their parents a lot of things, and I have a vague idea Mrs. Witwicky didn't understand when her son told her he was having 'a party.'

"It's the Witwicky's," she replied.

"Oh." Yeah, now I remember why.

The Witwicky's are the strangest on the block. They were also my favorite. Except for their son. He was a little... how do I put this? Peculiar. Eh, close enough.

"Sure. I don't see why not." Because socializing, that's why. But I didn't want to make her mad.

"Alright. It starts at 7:00. So be ready before then," She pointed a finger at me, "and I DON'T want to rush you out the door all messy and disheveled." It was 4:27 now, so I had plenty of time.

"Yes ma'am." She smiled and sighed.

"Okay, then. I'll be in the shower. " And she left.

If only she remembered to tell me there wouldn't be any adults.

* * *

 **Sooo... tell me, what do you think about that? I know I said I was gonna add third person POV for Ironhide, but I just didn't find anywhere to put it in this chapter. It will be in the next chapter for sure though.**

 **PARTY IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! And Beth is gonna hate it. But what is she going to do about it? You're just goin' to hafta wait. Hehe, I'm evil.**

 _ **Counting Stars/ Timber mashup is by Sam Tsui. Not me. I suggest you check it out though (if you haven't already).**_

 **If you a beta and bored, please, PM me.**

 **DO NOT FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW! Reviews put me in a good mood, a good mood writes better chapters and... well, you know the rest. :)**

~ _Adamas out_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hiya guys! I'm sorry this chapter is a little late. My computer crapped itself and so when**

 **it turned back on I started writing this chapter. But then it decided to be a butthead and delete it ALL. I had over half the chapter done and it was REALLY long. I am extremely upset right now... I really just thought about not doing it. At all. That's how mad I was. But I can't just leave you hanging like that. So I will say sorry in advance if anything seems a little off. I am eating peanut butter and chocolate chips to make sure I don't lose my cool. And when I was going to finish revising it, I forgot I had a soccer game. BUT HEY! It still came!**

 **Anyway... I would like to thank...**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic, KittyKatt25, HeartsGuardianSol, Kaida Fury, and Moka Vandabout**_ **FOR REVIEWING!** **I had responses for you guys, but I pretty sure you wanted an update more. Sorry...**

 **I know it might seem a little weird, but I dance around and wave my hands like a maniac every time I get a review. No joke. I really do.**

 **Ahem... anyways, see ya on the flipside (tips cowboy hat and leaves).**

* * *

Chapter 4

In Which I go to a Party and... Not Hate It?

…

 _In the previous chapter..._

"Sure. I don't see why not." Because socializing, that's why. But I didn't want to make her mad.

"Alright. It starts at 7:00. So be ready before then," She pointed a finger at me, "and I DON'T want to rush you out the door all messy and disheveled." It was 4:27 now, so I had plenty of time.

"Yes ma'am." She smiled and sighed.

"Okay, then. I'll be in the shower. " And she left.

If only she remembered to tell me there wouldn't be any adults.

...

Makeup. My face was covered in makeup. I didn't like it one bit. I never wore it for a reason, y'know. I don't even know why, it was just a party.

Annie did it for me. At first I said no, but she assaulted me with a barrage of tickles. _Not fun._

She did my hair, too. Nothin' too fancy, she just tied the loose ends in the front to the back, revealing my makeup covered face. The rest of my hair fell in a dark, wavy mass to about the middle of my back.

My current outfit was similar to my casual one. I was wearing bootcut jeans with a black t-shirt beneath a plaid red and black button-up shirt, except it was unbuttoned.

The Witwicky's house was only a block down the street. I would have walked or ridden my bike there, but I wasn't exactly in the mood to put energy into transportation. So I hopped in the small white Mazda 3. The only reason I know that is because I see it almost every other day. _C'mon guys, you know I'm not a car person._

The engine purred to life and I pulled out of the driveway. It took me forever to learn how to drive stick-shift without crashing into something.

It was dark out. The only lights visible came from houses along the road and the city lights against the clouds. They glowed a strange orange, making it seem more creepy than it already was. _I hope it rains. I really don't want to go._

The house was extremely hard to miss, with multiple lights streaming out from the inside alongside muffled music. There were also people passed out on the front porch. _Wow, it's only 7:06, too._

I parked on the opposite side of the street and walked to the front porch. Apparently there were some semi-conscious people.

I walked up to the door and opened it.

 _Holy shit balls._

The place was a pen house. _No, a fucking breeding stall._

The music was loud and the lights were off, but the multi-colored strobe lights illuminated the shadows of figures dancing and... _uhhh...I'm not gonna say._ Empty plastic cups littered the place and drinks were spilled everywhere on the floor. There were also cheese balls and pretzels everywhere there wasn't some liquid or trash. I'm not one to be squeamish about these things but _ewww_.

I weaved my way through the mass of horny teenagers and into the kitchen. The sight was even worse.

The layout of the house was the same as mine, but the design and contents were different. The smell was pungent and of puke. And there was also the smell of... _wait, are they_ _ **smoking?!**_ _THEY'RE FUCKING SMOKING! I can't believe it._

There were joints, some weird white dust, and bongs or whatever the fudge they're called. _I don't do these things man, of course I don't know._

But I did know I wanted away. Away from this hell hole.

I speed walked my way through the crowd and to the stairs. I tried to avoid the grabbing hands of drunk guys who kept asking "if I wanted them to bang me." _Oh, hell_ _ **no.**_

I reached the top of the stairs and hurried my way into a room on the left. I opened the door and didn't even pay attention to a nasty as I ran over to the window. I opened the window and climbed out to the roof just outside it. I turned around and closed the window. _I don't want anyone following me._

I now stood on the first floor roof. It was small, seeing as the majority of the first floor was covered by second floor. _Like I said, I know the layout._

But the first floor roof wasn't the end of my expedition.

I stared at the second floor roof, which was about 7 feet above the shingle-covered roof I was currently standing on. _Damnit, I'm gonna have to jump._

"Need help with something?" _What the fuck..._

* * *

 _Is this what human juveniles do in their free time? Why did we bother saving them when they'll just kill off themselves?_ This is what the Autobot weapons specialist was contemplating. He had a point; what the human teenagers were doing would ultimately lead to their demise all too soon.

Sam Witwicky had asked him to watch the house for him while he went to spend time with his mate; Mikalea Banes.

He sat in the neighbor's driveway, observing from a distance. He had a good view despite the dying shrubs separating the two properties. He was appalled at the stupidity of the human children.

And then something caught his optic.

A small white sedan drove right by him and parked parallel to the curb. A human female of short stature climbed out of the vehicle and proceeded walked to the front of the building and stared at it with a loathing expression. She seemed familiar. And he didn't know why, but it bothered him that he couldn't remember.

 _Is she going to enter that pit of a building?_

Her outfit consisted of bootleg jeans, a black t-shirt with a red and black plaid button-up shirt over it. She also had worn-out sneakers on her feet. Her hair was a dark sandy blonde, wavy and reached just beyond her shoulder blades; the shorter front ends tied into a small ponytail at the back of her skull. Her form was different from every other teenage female he had seen so far; who were so thin it seemed as though they would break with a single touch. She seemed... sturdy. Her shoulders were pulled back and her feet were planted. Like he had thought, she wasn't thin, she was (as humans put it) fit, but she still had curves due to wider hips. She was short, about 5'2 if he were to guess. Her legs were long compared to her torso (which Ironhide found funny despite her height), and her form even reminded him of his leader's, only more feminine.

But his thought didn't finish as he watched her step over an unconscious man and into the building.

 _Unfortunate,_ he mused, _she seemed like an interesting one. To bad she just like all the other human delinquents._

He searched his processor for any memory he could find of someone like her, hoping he could remember.

And then he did.

 _She was the one I saved from the speeding car._ He didn't understand why he didn't recall the memory sooner. Her retaliation against him after he just _**saved her**_ had piqued his interest. It wasn't often he met someone soo... stupidly brave. And from what his comrade Epps told him, his holoform was more intimidating than most. And the fact that one so small stood up to him intrigued him even more.

 _Very unfortunate,_ he mused again.

But he took back the thought when he saw her climb out the second story window and close it, _**very much sober.**_

 _Maybe she isn't that stupid._

Again, he didn't know why, but he wanted to know more about her. So he did something his comrades would consider extremely odd for him. His holoform materialized a few feet behind her and he began to animate it. He didn't worry about any witness's due to the fact the were either drunk, high, or unconscious.

"Need help with something?" She stiffened considerably. She turned her head to the right and spoke.

"Nah, I'm just staring at a wall on the roof," she chided, "Have you been following me?" _Now where did that question originate from?_

* * *

 _O_ _h shitshitshitshitshit... Why is HE here? Don't tell_ _me he's here to get drunk n' shit. No, he's too sober for that. Wait... was I right about him following me? Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh_ _gosh..._

"Nah, I'm just staring at a wall on the roof." And then my brain decided it wanted to be an idiot.

"Have you been following me?" _I really am confident for my own good. And stupid._ _ **Veryy**_ _stupid._

I turned around and faced him, leaning on my right hip with my arms crossed.

"Now what brought you to that conclusion?" he inquired, "Is a friendly conversation to much to ask for?" A friendly conversation? No one has had the guts to look past my resting bitchface syndrome since I started High school. What makes things so different, now?

"Depends on who you're askin'. Now answer the question." I didn't mean to come off so standoffish, but I wasn't exactly the happiest person right now.

"Who am I asking then?" _Why the fuck are you smirking right now?_ A strange feeling wanted to appear in my chest, but I shoved it down. Writhing anger took its place. Yeah, angry was good. _But why was I angry?_ Who knows, I was just satisfied knowing that weird feeling was gone.

"Not a very happy person," I stated firmly, "That's who. Now answer the. Goddamned. Question."

"Completely coincidental." _Like hell it is._

I gave him my "bitch please" face. He saves me; I see him in a parking lot staring at me; he just happened to be at this party; who knows what else he's done without my knowing. Though, I will admit, I **did** jump to the 'stalker' conclusion a little too quick. But that doesn't mean I'm still not suspicious.

"I stand by what I've said." _Doesn't mean it's true..._

He looked past me and at the roof behind.

"What were you attempting to accomplish, anyway?" I sighed and turned back towards the second roof.

"I just wanted to get away from the idiot-filled hell hole downstairs-upstairs." I explained. Anger and sarcasm still evident in my voice. "It's probably not the best idea, though, knowing my clumsy record." I mumbled the last part.

Then without a warning; large, warm hands grabbed my waist and my feet left the ground.

"What the..." _Did he just pick me up?_ _Ever heard of personal space?_ My thought was interrupted when my chest hit the second floor roof. I pulled my arms out from my side and pulled myself up. The hands left. I grunted and dragged my leg up. It was enough leverage to get the rest of my form up. I hauled the rest of my body onto the roof and stood.

"Whew," I placed my hands on my hips and looked across the dimly illuminated neighborhood. "Thanks, being 5'3 has its advantages, but it's more cons then pros." A thud was heard and I turned around. The dude swiftly and easily pulled himself up. Funny, I don't even know his name yet.

I walked over to the edge and sat down, swinging my legs like a five year-old on a seat too high. Whatever-his-name-is followed suit.

"I never caught your name, by the way," I asked. No better way to break the ice than asking for someones name. Unless it's one I don't know about. I wouldn't be surprised if there was. It was funny, too. I was already an acquaintance with a person I considered my stalker only a minute ago. _Funny to think I still have trust issues. Looks like those walls are broken._

"Name's Ian." I honestly never expected him to respond.

"Bethany." This is a good start.

"Sooo... why are you here? You babysitting or something?" Now, as you all probably know by now, I don't usually engage in conversations, let alone start them, but this "Ian" dude seemed like a different guy. That strange feeling reemerged, and I didn't like it. I shoved it back once again, hoping it would stay away _**permanently.**_

"Yes, if that's what watching over irresponsible, vulgar and obscene adults is." I chuckled. This guy isn't a complete assbag after all.

"I agree, except they're teenagers, not adults."

"It does not matter, they're irresponsible either way. It isn't often someone responsible is found."

"No, no, no, no. That's not the case. There's a lot of people like that out there. They're just smart enough to avoid coming out into public and get criticized by stupid people on stupid things." I just met the fucking man and here we are, having an intelligible conversation. I've never done that before. It's makin' me look like a fucking social-butterfly!

And the scene must've been something straight out of a gushy fanfiction. But for some reason I didn't mind. I found someone I could talk to, and I wasn't going to throw that out the window. _Awww shit. It is just like a fanfiction._

He didn't say anything in reply.

"You speak as though you know from experience." _Nevermind._

"You could say that," I answered, "I just have better conversations alone." _Oh, the irony of that sentence alone._

He turned his head towards me and looked straight into my eyes. What was it like, I wonder? Deep, dark, pure blue clashing with brown spotted green eyes. Quite the contrast I imagine. His face was about 2 feet from mine. _At least he's respecting_ _personal space this time._

I broke the gaze and laid down on my back. The shingles were cool and relaxed my tense back.

"You must think I'm strange." He seemed like a blatantly honest man, and I found no harm in asking for an honest opinion.

He had turned his head back to the neighborhood scene, but his attention was on me again. He looked as if he was thinking hard. _Don't think too hard, you'll give yourself a headache._

"Strange? No. Unique? Maybe." _That is the closest I have ever gotten to a compliment._

Silence reined over the air. The music downstairs had stopped and the house was some-what quiet. I think the party is over.

"Welp, I think it's time to leave," I stood up and jumped off onto the first floor roof. "See ya." He didn't reply. He just watched as I climbed back in the window. _Damn pervert. Keep your eyes somewhere else._

* * *

 **Sooo... what about that one? Did ya like it? I felt a little weird writing this one. But you got what you wanted right? Right? So how was it without Beth's raging hormones there? Also, did you guys like the name I picked for "Ian"? I thought about goin with Ron but a lot of people use that one, so I wanted to come up with something different. Hope it fits.**

 **I didn't really know how to write Beth and Ian together, so I went with what I thought was slightly awkward and casual. As time goes on, I imagine it'll get easier. I've never been in a relationship myself (I'm a aloner) so I don't have much to base this off of. So feedback would be great.**

 **I don't think I'll write in third person again (in THIS story). It'll just ruin the mystery and confusion that you guys would share with Bethany. And that's an element I wanna keep in the story.**

 _ **Please Note: One more chapter and the poll will be closed. Check that out. It's important, I swear.**_

 _ **DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW! Actually...**_ **tell me how your day was. Yeah, tell me about your day. It might help. With what? No clue. I'm weird.**

 _~Adamas out_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi ya guys! Welcome back to WTTDWADF (that still looks weird lol). A little heads up, I have playoffs this week (we're second place and we have a bunch of newbies {including ME!} WOOWHOOO I AM SO PUMPED! We beat the first place team once during the actual season, so I hope we can do it again. My team was tied with another for second and third place, and they decided who was second and who was third by a FREAKING COIN TOSS! A COIN TOSS! And we won. So now we don't have to drive an hour and a half to get to the other field. Funny that's the thing I'm happy about.), so expect a kinda late chapter.**

 **Another warning: I have another story coming out (Transformers Prime if you wanted to know), so again, updates will be slightly slower.**

 **I would like to thank...**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic and Guest**_ **FOR REVIEWING!**

 **I have spotted a pattern going on. It looks like this. 6, 3, 6, 2... and so on. I get 6 reviews for 1 chapter, and the next chapter gets 3. The next chapter gets 6, the one after that gets 2. If I get 6 reviews on this chapter, and 1 on the next one; THE PATTERN WILL BE COMPLETE! C'mon guys, let's do it. 6 reviews for this chapter. It's a little weird for me to ask for a specific amount of reviews these days, but I'm a sucker for the little things and this is one of them. Let's do it.**

 **(Clears throat) Anyways... THIS IS SPARTA! (Nonexistent editor comes in and whacks me on the head) "WRONG FANDOM!" Me: Hehe... woops.**

* * *

Chapter 5

In Which I Help an Idiot Study and Make a New Friend... I Think...

…

 _In the previous chapter..._

"Strange? No. Unique? Maybe." __That is the closest I have ever gotten to a compliment__ _._

Silence reined over the air. The music downstairs had stopped and the house was some-what quiet. I think the party is over.

"Welp, I think it's time to leave," I stood up and jumped off onto the first floor roof. "See ya." He didn't reply. He just watched as I climbed back in the window. __Damn pervert. Keep your eyes somewhere else.__

…

"Yes, Mister Jackson, I am aware of fact that you studied this in 8th grade, but we are going over this _again_ more thoroughly, this time." Mr. Herich replied annoyed, "NOW!" He pointed a hand in the air as he sat back on the edge of his desk. "Can _anyone_ tell me what the exact date on which the Turkish invaded Cyprus?" The thin, balding, middle-aged man seemed to be getting annoyed. A hand a ways to my right rose. Mr. Herich nodded in that direction. A soft, mellow voice answered.

"The invasion on Cyprus was launched on July 10th, 1974."

"Wrong!" He called out, "It was-" The bell rang, symbolizing our ability to escape this prison. _I hate Mondays._

"Don't forget to study chapter 11!" The call was barely heard as I sped down the wall. I came to my locker and spun the combination lock. I swung open the thin metal door and threw the thick textbooks into my worn out bag. I started to speed walk to the school doors when my name was called.

"Hey Beth! Bethany! Hey, c'mon wait up!" I didn't slow down. Rapid footfalls were heard behind me. I wanted to get out of here before the crowd started to come.

"What do you want, Sam?" I continued walking to my car, not facing the guy now next to me.

"I need help with my history homework," he panted.

"Why don't you just ask Mikeala?" Sam was always with her. I don't think I ever saw one without the other.

"She's spending time with her dad, and besides, you're the history wiz." I came to the driver door and turned around to face him. The hair in my ponytail swished around and hit me in the eye.

"Owww," I brushed the hair out and back to its place behind my head.

"I'm not a 'history wiz' like you said, I just pay attention in class," I retorted, "You should try it sometime. You'd be surprised at what you learn."

"Ha ha, very funny," _Don't try and use sarcasm, Sam. That's my thing._ "But please. I really need an A on this next test. I might get a scholarship out of it." He said rapidly.

"What's in it for me?" He knows I won't help him unless I get something out of it. I was like a black market dealer, only it's not illegal to sell information on things my "clients" should already know.

"My dad just made some of his peanut butter sugar cookies." _Oh, yasss._ My prices aren't exactly the cheapest. Mr. Witwicky's cookies were some of the best in the town. My other prices ranged from movie tickets to packs of gum to video game CD's.

"That's good. So your house it is then." I opened the door and hopped into the driver's seat.

"Okay, see you in..."

"I'll be there in 6 minutes," I answered for him. I wanted to go home and say hi to Annie before I got stuck tutoring Sam for 3 hours. Maybe I'll get lucky and Miss Rosette will be home, too.

"Alright, see you in 6 minutes."

"Right back 'atcha." I slid the keys into the ignition and the engine roared to life. I slipped into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. _I am so glad my car is fixed._

* * *

I pulled into the Witwicky's driveway and walked out of the car. A bright yellow Camaro with two black stripes sat beside it. _I only know that because it's a pretty car, okay?_

"Hey Bethany! I thought you wouldn't show up! It's been 15 minutes," he pointed out.

"You can't always expect me to be EXACTLY on time," I berated, "And besides, I would never skip out on some of your dad's cookies." I was staring at the car. _It's a_ _ **very**_ _pretty car._

 _Hold on... I thought Mr. Witwicky was a cheapo?_

"You like it?" He asked proudly.

"Of course I do, it's a nice car." _Was it just me, or did it just sit up a little higher?_

"Glad ya think so, come on in." He waved his hand his hand and walked inside.

Me and Sam could be considered friends, I guess. He was the only kid on the block until we moved down here. We used to live all the way up in northeast in a small town called Watkins Glen, New York. We actually lived a ways from the town itself, on a large hill in front of the lake Seneca, surrounded by wine gardens. The house was big, but not mansion big. More like 'summer home' big. And that's what it is now.

I was 5 when we moved down here, and the Witwicky's and their son welcomed us with warm arms and warm weather. I was older than Sam by a month or two, but we were still the same age. Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky looked after Annie and me while Miss Rosette worked around the neighborhood. So me and Annie were pretty much the only company Sam had besides Miles, but he didn't come over much.

Sam didn't mind playing with me as a kid. He said "that all girls are as tough as boys, sometimes even stronger like you, you're nice, too." _Thanks Sam._

But we kinda separated as he grew more interested in girls. He kept asking what he should do "to get all the chicks." And of course I told him that I knew nothing. 'Cause I didn't. It got somewhat awkward at first, because he asked me on a date. At first I thought he was serious, but then he explained that he planned on FUCKING USING ME to get all the girls jealous. _Yeah, like that was gonna help._

Needless to say I didn't talk to him for a week. He needed to start thinking with his head and not his hormones.

I walked into the home and was welcomed with the sweet smell of cookies and peanut butter.

"Hey dad, Bethany is here." Sam said as he walked towards the kitchen counter and plopped down.

Piles of familiar looking papers and large textbooks sat menacingly, daring us to refuse the fate that was surely sealed. Studying.

"Hello Bethany, needed a study partner?" Mr. Witwicky stood in a "kiss the cook" apron in front of the stove, with a timer set for 3 minutes.

I leaned my right hip against the dark granite countertop and crossed my arms, the unbottoned blue and black plaid shirt folding back around, revealing the black tanktop underneath. My pants were the same dark blue bootcut jeans.

"More like the other way around. Sam needed a tutor for history," I explained. I turned around and faced Sam. "And I thought you said the cookies were done?" I shot an accusing glare Sam's way.

He looked up from the papers and looked at me confused. Realization dawned on his face and he ducked his head.

"Hehe, sorry about that. But hey, at least they'll be warm." He tried to redeem himself.

It didn't work.

I walked over to Sam, grabbed the thickest stack of papers in front of him, and whacked him across the head.

I set the paper's down and with a dramatic flick of my sandy hair (which hit me in the eye AGAIN), I turned around and walked back to my original spot.

"And now because of that, I have to wait-" I looked back to the stove timer and turned back around, "2 agonizing minutes for the most glorious cookies ever made." Mr. Witwicky chuckled. Sam looked as guilty as a man who stole money from a grandma. _He_ _ **knows**_ _how much I love those cookies._

"All because of you." I was a sucker for overstating and dramatizing simple, petty things.

Mr. Witwicky lost it.

We all started laughing hysterically. And then a call was heard from upstairs.

"What the mother are you boys laughing at?" a woman's voice called out and the thumps of footfalls were heard, "I wanna kno- Oh, hi Bethany!" The hyper, middle-aged woman exclaimed. She did this jumpy jog thing and hugged me tight.

"It's been _sooo_ long!" _It's been a month._

I gasped for air and replied.

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Witwicky." She let go of me and held my arms.

"My god," she stated, "look how beautiful you are! And your hair is so pretty!" She took a hand and brushed it through the tied up locks. _My looks can't change in a month, can they?_

"You've grown, too! You're what?" She paused and examined my form. "5'1?" I wanted to scream. _I. Am. 5. Foot. Fucking._ _ **3.**_

Thankfully, I didn't scream.

"5'3, actually."

"Oh, what's it matter? What brings you here, anyway?" I always thought of Mrs. Witwicky as an... aunt figure of sorts. That odd aunt who let you do things you shouldn't probably do (and most likely to get hurt in the process), but you still love them anyway. I once called her "Aunt Judy." She didn't say anything about it. _She was probably no doubt drunk at the time._

"Sam said he needed 'help,' but I have a feeling I'm goin' to be tutoring him, instead." Mrs. Witwicky's face turned sympathetic. She let go of my arms and walked away towards Mr. Witwicky.

"Sam! You should pay more attention in class so poor Beth doesn't have to work her ass off teaching you!" Before Sam could defend himself, I did it for him.

"It's fine, Mrs. Witwicky. Besides, I get some of Mr. Witwicky's peanut butter sugar cookies in return."

Mrs. Witwicky turned back to face her husband and gave him a what I can best describe as a 'seductive gaze.'

"Mmmhmm," she hummed, "My man sure does look good in that apron." I turned my body away and looked up at the ceiling like an innocent child, pretending not to hear _whatever_ was going on behind me.

"Woahwoahwoah, Mom? Dad? Can you _**please**_ save it for later? Now is not the time. You're blinding poor Beth, here," Sam reprimanded. They didn't responded, Mrs. Witwicky turned and began to walk away, when Mr. Witwicky slapped her on the behind. She jumped and gasped; looked back and smiled.

"C'mon, Dad!" Sam exclaimed. He gestured to his work and continued, "We're trying to work here!"

"You'll understand it someday, son." _Eewwww..._

"That'll be the day," Sam mumbled. Mrs. Witwicky walked back up the stairs.

The buzzer on the stove signaled the cookies finish and Mr. Witwicky pulled them out oven.

"Don't eat them just yet, they're still hot," he took off the oven mitts and hung them on the side of the fridge, "I'm going out to finish the yard." Mr. Witwicky's grass is the most precious thing he owned. He says we'll understand it someday, but I don't think I ever will. _Why_ _ **does**_ _he care so much about his grass?_

The world may never know.

He walked towards the door, opened it, and slammed it shut.

I looked around and silently walked over to the still-hot plate of DELICOUS cookies. I grabbed a small plate and began loading the cookies onto my plate.

"How many are you going to take? Save some for me."

"As many as I want. I don't care if you don't get any." I set the plate back down and grabbed a glass. I happily trotted over to the fridge and clutched the handle of the milk gallon, then poured myself some of the gallon's contents. I picked up the glass and hot plate (in which I almost burned myself in the process) and sat down beside Sam.

"Which-"

"Chapter 11, page 237."

"Okay then. Can you at least tell me WHAT we're studying?" He asked. _Sam! You should know at least this!_

"The Turkish invasion of Cyprus. And I'm not studying, you are. Now pay attention..."

* * *

 _I was wrong. Oh boy, was I wrong. I didn't understand how it could take **so** **long**. _

I don't understand how someone can't understand such a simple and short subject. It should not take 4 fucking hours to understand 1 motherfucking chapter.

"Hey! At least you had cookies to snack on that entire time! Thanks to you I'll dream of cookies and Operation Atilla." Sam shuddered.

" _Thanks to you I already lost an hour of sleep!"_ I hissed.

"Fine, we're even."

"EVEN?! _EVEN?!_ " I didn't bother staying quiet anymore, " _If anything,_ YOU OWE ME!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. I'll get you some more milk, alright? Just calm down."

"Fine, but make it a caramel cappuccino. I need the caffeine after dealing with you for 4 hours." I placed my head in my hands. The countertop was cold and so was the chair. _I'm glad I brought my hoodie._

"One caramel cappuccino comin-" He stopped his sentence when the side door slammed shut. Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky were upstairs and me and Sam were the only other people here besides them and we were currently sitting in the kitchen. _Who the fuck else is here?_

"Hang on," Sam held out a hand, signaling for me to calm down, "I think I know who it is. Just sit tight." _Since when has Sam been like... this?_

He walked away and around the corner. The silence was deafening. And then it was broken.

With laughs, grunts and slaps on backs.

 _What the heck?_

I stood up from the chair and began to walk. The tile was cold. I tried to keep my footfalls as silent as possible, but the little 'thuds' weren't entirely gone. _Damn, suppose I won't qualify as ninja._

I turned around the corner and smacked into something **hard.**

" _Owww..._ what the shit?" My eyes were closed, so I didn't see the small little ledge the separated the entry way roomie-thingy from the kitchen. And I tripped.

My butt hit the tile with a thump.

" _Owwwww..._ okay, that hurt." Laughs besieged my hearing.

"I'm glad you guys find this funny," I scolded, "Why don't you come and join me if you find it so funny?" I opened my eyes and was greeted by a new sight.

"I like her, she's funny." I stood up and looked at the guy who said that. He was a handsome kid, I will admit. He had bright sandy blonde hair and bright, sky blue eyes. _Why is it that everyone I meet these days has some sort of bright eye color?_

The guy looked to be my age and about 5'11. _Why is everyone soo tallll?_

"Hi! You must be Bethany. It's nice to meet you." He held out his and I shook it. My hand slipped back into place crossed in front of my chest.

"My name is Bailey," he stated, "I'm a friend of Sam's." _Are you now? Never heard of you before._

Sam chuckled, "Hehe, yeah... we met a while ago. Right before the attack on Mission City, actually."

I examined this "Bailey" a little more. His skin wasn't pale, but it wasn't tan. Olive. That's the word I'm lookin' for. His form was lean, but he wasn't Slenderman. He was pretty fit, too. He wore a black t-shirt with 2 yellow stripes running down from his left shoulder and dark; almost black, jeans. He wore orange, red, yellow and black (mostly black) tennis shoes.

His hair was shaggy and long, but not reaching past his jaw, barely past his ear. It was kinda wavy; messy would be the best way to put it. _I don't know why, but he reminds me of the Camaro. Weird._

"Yeah, we usually just call him 'Bee' though," Sam explained, "C'mon in, Dad made some cookies if you want any."

"Nah, I'm good. I'm still pretty full from dinner." _Full? A teenage boy is never "full."_

"So what were you guys doin in here?" Me and Sam answered at the same time.

"Homework."

"Helping Sam study."

"What she said," Sam made clear. Bailey laughed. _Is that a trace of an Australian accent I hear?_

"I'm not surprised. He spends more time ogling Mikeala than paying attention in class." Sam did a nervous chuckled and blushed.

"I'm guessing you're the person who saved Sam from failing all his classes?" he inquired. _I get the feeling Annie would really like this dude. Better be careful._

"Yup, that's me. But he pays for it. In cookies or somethin'. Pretty much anything works." I was back in my spot leaning against the island countertop; Bailey was leaning against the counter next to the stove, and Sam was sitting in one of the island chairs. He interjected back into the conversation.

"Beth does that alright. She's like the black market of our school, only she does it legally, unlike other jerks there who deal out drugs for info. It smells like weed half the time at the entrance." Sam and Bailey made a disgusted face at the statement. I snickered.

The rest of the night went on like that. Talking about one subject, one of us (usually me) making a snarky comment on it and then laughing our asses off. A big, giant cycle that lasted 2 hours. I went back home at 10:00 when I finally reached the breaking point.

We said our goodbyes and I drove home. I walked straight into my bedroom; not even bothering to change, and fell asleep.

 _Today was a good day._

* * *

 **Whew... that was a long chapter, wasn't it? It was kinda a filler, but we are making progression. A funny thing I found when I finished this chapter, is that from the first words "** Chapter 5 **" to "** Today was a good day. **" is exactly 3,000 words. I just felt the need to tell ya that.**

 **If you guys haven't caught it yet, there is one issue that Beth deals with that shows up in every chapter. Take a guess. Whoever gets it right get's virtual cookies and if you want... a cameo!**

 **If you guys want a little teaser for the new story I'll be publishing; just say.**

 _ **Please Note: After this chapter is published the poll will be closed.**_

 **Anyways... Don't forget to read and review!**

 _~Adamas out_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi ya guys! It's nice to see ya again! Welcome back! And HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It might be a little late, but it still came.**

 **First off, there is something I want to address. I've recently been... called out on something; to put it loosely. "Demanding" for reviews; except the thing is, I never meant to "demand" for them. I apologize if anyone felt this way. Some people might've taken it as a twelve year-old pouting and saying "since you're not doing this for me; I'm not doing this for you," when it was really "If you like it, please tell me so I can continue and if you don't like it, just don't review and I won't bother you and I won't update," because I have seen a LOT of people get annoyed from stories that keep updating but nobody wants to read them. I don't want to do that. Just like I said in the first chapter.**

 **Also, when I was made known to this, it made me feel extremely guilty because I absolutely hate making people do things against their will. Most of my life I felt as if everything I ever did was only complimented by people because they were obligated to and never really meant it. Here, on this website; doing one of the things that I love most; and then being told by people I've never met and have no reason whatsoever to be... obliged to tell me I'm good at writing and like my work; makes me. So. _Happy._ You have no idea. But when I came to the realization that some people might have done it because I "demanded" reviews; made me feel so terrible. I didn't really feel like writing after that. But HEY, I CAN'T JUST LEAVE YA GUYS HANGING!**

 **As you guys have probably deduced by now, I don't much have much self-confidence. _That_ is how Bethany was created. _She is_ the embodiment of what I want my self-confidence to be. **

**Ahem... my rant is now over and so I would like to thank...**

 _ **KittyKatt25, Vodid, Kaida Fury, HeartsGuardianSol, Gotta Dance 88, BIackrose13,and Guest**_ **FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **KittyKatt25:**_ **What if I said she did all three? ;)**

 _ **Vodid:**_ **I'm glad you feel that way. I want Bethany to be as human as possible. I sold some of my soul for that.**

 _ **HeartsGuardianSol:**_ **It is pointless trying to teach Sam. Even I had a hard time doing it.**

 _ **Kaida Fury:**_ **It'll most likely be hilarious. :b**

 _ **BIackrose13:**_ **Here is some more!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **He will come in soon enough. He'll come in when the time is right. :)**

 **AND CONGRADULATIONS TO _GOTTA DANCE 88,_ YOU GOT IT RIGHT! You get the batch of fresh virtual cookies! And a cameo if you want! I thought for sure it would be harder to guess...**

 _ **Note:**_ **At this time; Bethany is 18, but she has one more year of school to do. The reason she hasn't graduated yet is because she was born on December** **31st. And in the state I live in, if you're born in December you have to wait another year before going into school, making Bethany the oldest in her class. I am unsure whether this rule applies anywhere else, but I'm just rollin with it. Also Annie is 15 right now. She just turned. She was 9 when Beth almost attempted suicide, and she was 9 when her parents left. They left a couple of weeks after birthday. I have made a few errors in the previous chapters and I will try and get around to them when I can.**

 _ **Anyway**_ **...** **sorry for the long note and... FOR NARNIA! (editor comes in again and hits my hand with a ruler) "QUIT IT, YOU STUPID IDIOT!" Me: I'm not sorry.**

* * *

Chapter 6

In Which I go Grocery Shopping with a Little Help

...

 _In the previous chapter..._

The rest of the night went on like that. Talking about one subject, one of us (usually me) making a snarky comment on it and then laughing our asses off. A big, giant cycle that lasted 2 hours. I went back home at 10:00 when I finally reached the breaking point.

We said our goodbyes and I drove home. I walked straight into my bedroom; not even bothering to change, and fell asleep.

 _ _Today was a good day.__

…

 _One more problem. That's all that's left. One more problem._

I looked back down at the paper.

"Eh, I don't really need the extra credit _that much."_ I picked up the papers and tossed them back into my backpack, not caring whether or not they got crushed. The textbooks inside it either crumpled the homework or protected them and kept them straight. But like I said, I didn't really care.

I stood up and stretched; pulling my arms behind my back. _After sitting and doing nothing for_ _an_ _hour will make one stiff._

My stomach growled.

I looked at the clock on the stove. It read "3:15." I'm usually not hungry so soon. _I suppose PE really took a toll on me today. Octoball is harder than it looks._

I slowly trodded around the island and over to the big, black double door refrigerator; opening the door. The cold seeped out and into the open. The inside was barren; small plastic containers and almost empty egg cartons littering the shelves. And the milk was gone. _It's time to go grocery shopping._

 _Woopdee fuckin doo._

I turned around and walked over to the stairs. Knocking the my hand against the wall; I yelled up the to the second floor.

"HEY ANNNIIEEEE!"

"WHAATTT?" Annie groaned. The loud thuds of foot falls were heard on the top of the stairs and Annie peeked her head around the corner.

"I'm goin' to have to go BJ's. We're low on stuffs and things," I spoke, my grammer incorrect. Annie always laughed when I did that. It was funny when Annie laughed. She always did this wheezing, deep voice thing; she would even snort a couple times too, if whatever she was laughing at was funny enough.

"You wanna come?"

"No thanks," she answered, "I'm still busy with homework." Homework always came first. Miss Rosette made sure we understood that nice and clear. We haven't forgotten to do our homework in 5 years. The teachers loved Annie and me because of the lesson that was practically beaten into us.

"Okay, ya need anything?"

"l don't think so... wait, I need shampoo."

"Just shampoo?"

"Yeah," she replied sheepishly. I brought my hand to my face and rubbed my face.

"You accidentally spilled it again, didn't you?" She ducked her head further behind the wall and nodded her head. I pulled my hand away and placed it on my left hip.

"So that was you that caused all those bubbles under the bathroom door?" I interrogated.

" _Maybe..."_ she looked up at the ceiling in hopes of that I would believe her feigned innocence. _Better luck next time._

I sighed, "Anything else?" She looked back down at the floor in thought.

"How 'bout some chocolate chips?"

"Semi-sweet?"

"Mmhmm." She nodded her head again.

"Fine." Annie did this little jump thing and raced down the stairs, colliding into me and embracing me tightly around the neck.

"Thankyou thankyou thankyou!" she repeated rapidly. Despite the fact that Annie was 3 years younger than me, she was about the same height I was; I daresay even taller than me. _BY A MILLIMETER, MIND YOU!_

She pulled away and began to walk back up the creaking wooden stairs.

"Don't forget to tell Miss Rosette," I called back up, reminding her, "I don't wanna freak her out again," I murmured. Last time I forgot to tell her where I was going, Miss Rosette called the entire police squad to look for me. _That was not a good day._

I grabbed the list from the fridge and walked over to the door; slipping on my shoes, those being the same rattted and worn out tennis shoes from before.

I stood up and grabbed the keys from of the hook beside the screen door; walking through it and out to the car. I sat down inside it and turned the key in the ignition. It wasn't that far of a drive away. Not much was. As far as everything else was from us, Tranquil had almost everything anyone in the town would need.

I pulled out of the driveway and drove down the empty street.

* * *

The parking lot was a lot more full than I expected It to be on a Thursday evening. Mini vans, pick-up trucks and sedans cluttered the open spaces, and shopping carts were spread everywhere they shouldn't be. For once I was glad that the Mazda I was driving was small.

I slowly pulled in to the space (that was half taken up by a stupid, little soccer-mom van) and stepped out of the car; phone sitting in my left pocket and my wallet in my right. I didn't park to far away from the building to my luck, but no matter how close I parked, the inevitable encounter would've happened sooner or later.

The sounds of heavy boots was heard behind me. I spotted a very tall form jog up close to my side. I've seen it enough to recognize it anywhere. _Sadly how I have. My brain can't take much more of this._

I hoped he would have kept on jogging passed me. Or it wasn't really him at all. Either was preferable.

He stopped next to me and slowed into a walk.

 _What the fuck man? Really?_ I mentally groaned.

"Are you a hundred percent sure that you aren't stalking me?" _It's going to be really embarrassing if that's not him._

"Well hello to you, too," I could just _hear_ the smile in his voice. I snickered. Apparently this dude _can_ be funny when he wants to be.

"Haha, you're funny. And hi back; but really," I paused, "Are you stalking me?" I looked to my right and at his really handso- _No, just stop right there._

He turned his head towards me; returning my questionable stare, and gazed at me in thought. His navy blue eyes were constricted, the color burning bright and very visible. It isn't my hormones speaking when I say that his eyes _very_ attractive.

He turned his head away and chuckled, his hand brushing through his dark hair; rustling it even more. _It's not_ _ **that**_ _windy out._

The wind picked up and blew the clouds in the way of the sun; darkening the outside. _Scratch that._ My still-unbrushed dark sandy hair blew into my eyes, effectively blinding me and causing me to trip over the curb; only to be saved from a mouth full of concrete by- _you guessed it-_ Ian. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to my feet, reluctantly removing his grip in case I do so again. _Wouldn't be surprised if I did._ _I_ _ **really**_ _need a haircut._

"No. I apologize if it ever seemed that way," he spoke, his voice lowering an octave, "I never meant to come across as that way," he stated.

"Apology accepted. I understand. But one can never be to careful nowadays."

"True. I can't imagine what the dilemma be like if I were." We walked up to the glass doors and they slid open, thanks to the black oval-shaped motion detectors above them. The sound of colliding carts filled the little room, and people came and went; plastic bags occupying their arms.

"I can picture it pretty clearly. And it ends with you on your knees in pain," I retorted. His smirk grew into a grin. _Damn that sexy smile._

The statement caused startled looks to be shot our way, the senders appalled at the phrase. Not liking the attention laced on me; I looked over to Ian, who was facing straight as if unaffected by the glares sent at us. I took the chance to observe him. _NOT to check him out!_

He was still at least a foot taller than me and his form was still as stout and muscular as before. The thought made my cheeks burn red. His outfit was the same as always, the only difference being instead of a black shirt under his leather jacket, he wore a gray t-shirt. I looked away, not wanting to be caught staring at his chest (which was about an inch above my straight-on view) and trotted over to the cart stalls; yanking one of the gray wired carts out; which was stuck to the one in front of it.

I figured it would be here me and Ian would part our own separate ways; but I was wrong. He stood right where I had last left him, waiting expectantly for me to return. I pushed the cart in front of me and walked through the second set of sliding glass doors. Ian walked up beside me once again and continued alongside me.

"Don't you have your own business to attend to?"

"I already got what I needed," he explained, "I just saw you walking in and I don't have anywhere to go after, so I figured I' d stay and give you some company." _Him? Give_ _ **me**_ _company? That is really odd. And not the way to do it._

I shrugged my shoulders and continued on. It would be nice having someone to talk to inside this maze of a store, which I'll most likely be stuck in for 2 hours.

 _Hold up. Me; saying it would be nice to have someone to talk to?_

 _My hormones must be at it again._

But in reality, the concept didn't bother me all that much. I'm constantly being bugged by Annie and Miss Rosette to be a little more social, anyway. This is a start. I'm just glad it'll be Ian I'm talking to. _Okay, that last sentence wasn't me at all._

I leaned over the front of the cart and began to walk, the brute staying beside my left side the entire time.

"Is it just you or do you have a family?" I questioned. I don't know much about him. Might as well change that.

"Currently just me. But I'll be leaving for a new military base soon." _Ah ha! So I was right!_

"What about you? You don't seem old enough to be living alone."

"Please don't tell me you guessed my age off my height, because you'll be _really_ far off. And yes I'm old enough to live alone, but I have a little sister and a..." _How to say this without sounding like brat?_

"Mother-figure of sorts, I guess," I finished.

"I didn't estimate your age by your height," he began, "If I did, I would guess you're just a child." _Wrong thing to say, you motherfucker._

"For your information, I am 18 years-old. And if I had to guess your age off of your maturity, I'd say you'd be 4," I replied sardonically. _How's that for a burn?_

He smiled; his eyes filled with an amused mirth.

 _Damnit. Now I feel like an idiot._

"And what makes you think that?"

"Damn you." He laughed. He actually laughed. It was deep rumble, but it wasn't loud. It sent shivers down my spine. _How can he_ _ **do**_ _that?_

We walked into one of the frozen food isles and the temperature seemed to drop. I stopped next to one of the doors and looked for the frozen pizza. I couldn't find any DiGiorno's. Pizza rolls sounded like a nice substitute. But something caught my eye.

A little ways down the isle; 2 old ladies stood side by side, staring at me. Actually... more like 'us.'

They whispered in each other ears, but they weren't very quiet. I could only make out mumbled words. When they caught me staring at them, they stopped... and smiled. Their eyes booked between Ian and me. Ian didn't seem to notice. I looked away and walked over to the freezer door with pizza rolls behind it. I grabbed the cheapest bag and tossed it into the empty cart. When I looked up; the women were walking past us. One of them leaned forward and whispered in my ear. _Not creepy at all._

"You're a lucky girl," she murmured, "You two are very cute." My face must've been as red as a tomato. I don't think I have ever blushed so hard. My face felt like it was burning off.

 _We are NOT a couple. We are the farthest thing from it._

They must have over heard or little squirmish. But why would they think we were a couple? An argument would give the exact _opposite_ impression. I didn't dwell on it long.

"What are you thinking about?" He must have seen my expression. Why else would he ask that question?

"I'm thinkin about how the heck am I gonna find the chocolate chips," I stated firmly. A weird feeling appeared in my chest. It made it feel as if it was constricting and burning. But it didn't hurt. Not at all. It was strange. I didn't know what it was. Or what was causing it. And in all honesty, it scared me. So I shoved it down hard, and focused my mind on something else.

I looked up at Ian, who was inspecting some of the pizza-related merchandise hanging at the end of the isle.

"What _are_ these things?"

"I dunno. I gave up trying to find out years ago." He placed the... thingy mah-bobber back on the hooks and walked back to his original positon on my left side. We continued through the store. Ian stared at some of the strange things being sold throughout the store and I laughed. His reaction to the toy section was absolutely hilarious.

 _This was funny. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. Can't wait till next time._

If there ever was a next time.

* * *

 **Soo... how was that one? You got a little more Bethany and Ian interaction. I am truly clueless when when it comes to writing them together. And I apologize if the chapter is a little... I dunno- off? I've just been kinda out of it lately. I also have no clue what a real relationship is like, so I have nothing to base this off of. I am practically pulling almost everything from other fanfics. _ALMOST EVERYTHING._**

 **Well... I think that's all. Don't think there is anything else I forgot to mention.**

 _ **If you are a beta and bored, please PM me.**_

 **And don't forget to read and review! I love hearin from you guys!**

 _~Adamas out_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi ya guys! It's nice to see all you guys again. Well... not see, but you get the point.**

 **I would like to thank...**

 _ **HeartsGuardianSol, Gotta Dance 88, CarsCars2Fanatic and SapphireSpark**_ **FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **HeartsGuardianSol:**_ **Yeah... there are a few outlandish things sold in some stores. I've had some unlucky encounters myself.**

 _ **Gotta Dance 88:**_ **I'm happy you think they're** **cute. I tried REALLY hard; but at the same time I didn't. It's weird. And about the cameo thing. You can just PM me some detail about yourself or I can just write "And there goes a dancing Snoopy look-a-like dog. I don't know why, but I bet its name is 'Gotta Dance 88.'" That would be hilarious.**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **Well now I know they're ador** **able. Thanks for spoiling it. (That was sarcasm if you can't tell. It's hard to use it over text \\( b )/ )**

 _ **SapphireSpark:**_ **Here's your chapter!**

 **I am truly amazed by you guys. Really I am. Just the responses from all of you is astounding. It makes me very happy. I could go all weepy eyes explaining every way it makes happy. But I'm not going too. You guys want a something to read right? If not, you're on the wrong site.**

 **Anyway, sorry for almost mushy on ya'll(cracks knuckles)... Now let's get down to business.**

 **(Invisible editor comes in) "What business?" Me: "MY BUSINESS!" Editor: "You sure?" Me: "No." Editor: Sighs and leaves "Idiot..." Me: "I. AM. NOT. AN IDIOT!"**

* * *

Chapter 7

In Which My Life Involves a Walk in the Park

…

 _In the previous chapter..._

I looked up at Ian, who was inspecting some of the pizza-related merchandise hanging at the end of the isle.

"What __are__ these things?"

"I dunno. I gave up trying to find out years ago." He placed the... thingy mah-bobber back on the hooks and walked back to his original positon on my left side. We continued through the store. Ian stared at some of the strange things being sold throughout the store and I laughed. His reaction to the toy section was absolutely hilarious.

 _ _This was funny. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. Can't wait till next time.__

If there ever was a next time.

…

I thought this was the end. That it would _finally_ be over and the struggle would no longer be taunting me, degrading me with every insult it could come up with. Victory was there. I could just _taste it._

"Checkmate."

"God fucking damnit."

If I could have flipped the table, I would. But it was cemented to the ground, so that wouldn't work.

"You are quite the sore loser, aren't you?" Ian mocked. After we- ahem- ME, finished shopping, Ian helped me carry all the bags to the car, he pointed out that it was a nice day out and said we should take a short walk. _Where the idea originated from, I have no clue._

But it _was_ a nice day, so who was I to refuse?

We walked to the park not far from the store and found some of the little chess tables set up there. And some _idiot_ had the wonderful idea to play a game. Or two. And lose both. _And when I say 'idiot' I mean me._

"Screw you." He began to laugh once more, the deep enchanting rumble filling my hearing. I frowned. _I'm not that bad at chess._

"Another game?" _Fuck that._ Ian smiled, crossing his arms across his chest proudly and leaning forward onto the table.

"And have my ass handed back to me?" I questioned, "Already had that happen one too many times, so no thank you," I sing-songed. Is that even a word? Sing-Songed? It might be. I crossed my arms in show of defiance, sitting up straight in doing so.

I looked up at the cloud-covered sky; the sun much lower than it was before, creating bright colors splayed across the expanse. I pulled out my phone and turned it on, glancing at the time. _5:46. I got a little time to spare._

Ian stood up from his side of the bench and waited. I stood up also, but began to walk towards the playground. It was almost barren seeing as all the families that came here were probably eating dinner. _Now's my chance. I can act like a kid and my sanity won't be questioned._

What's left of it; that is.

"What are you doing?" Ian questioned. His voice it sounded like mother about to scold a child for something stupid.

"What does it look like I'm doin'?" I retorted, still walking forward. My feet met the ledge that separated the wood chips from the grass; and jumped over it like a child playing hopscotch. _I am a child at heart, seeing as I matured at a really young age. I think._

"I thought this structure is designed for adolescents?"

"It was _designed_ for kids," I explained, "But it was built for the community. And _I am_ a part of this community."

"Fair enough. I just don't understand what you plan on doing."

"Anything I feel like." Ian gave a sigh as he watched me walk over to one of the small, tilted ladders; a small smirk splayed across his lips. I began to climb up -well, more like walked- without any hands; balancing on the balls of my toes.

I waved my hands out to my sides and yelled.

"Look! No hands!" Ian smiled; his gaze continuing to follow me. I climbed up to the tallest tower with a slide connected to it and looked down. It was about 15 feet off the ground. The handrails were very tall as to prevent kids falling off; alongside me just barely being able to see over them.

I was never all that afraid of heights; unless they were outrageous heights no human should ever accomplish alone without any help. I actually loved the tingling feeling in my stomach when I looked down from tall buildings. You know those rides at amusement parks and fairs that you sit in and it takes you up REALLY high and then drops you? That's my second favorite one. The first is one of those swing ones you get strapped into and taken up really high up. Although I absolutely hate spinny rides, the swing one is just slow enough to be enjoyable without puking my guts out. And plus I love swings.

Speaking of swings; as I scanned the gold colored playground, I spotted some to the left of the fun structure.

I walked over to the slide and slid down; hands in the air. "Weeeee... Okay that wasn't as fun as I imagined." That's the thing with today's teenagers. They want to grow up and be "free" from their parents. Be an adult and make their own choices. Not that it's bad. It just when in reality, the majority of adults just don't have the free time to play like kids on a playground anymore. Little kids play with their imagination to make the simple things fun. But as time goes on, and those kids grow up; they're told to be realistic; throw away those fantasies that they created, because they won't get you anywhere in life. And this message is basically saying you can't use your imagination if you want to be an adult. Just obey and do what you're told to do. But it's the people with imaginations who change the world. Writers, inventors, artists; both in art and in music, and even chefs and many more use their imagination to create ideas to change the world. I find this very contradicting. But then again, that is what the world is. That is what being human is. It tells you to do one thing, yet it does the exact opposite. _Very contradicting indeed._

I stood up from the edge of the slide with a lot more effort than needed and proceeded to the swings. Ian gaze grew curious as he watch me sit upon the chained-up seat, the tips of my toes barely scraping the tarp revealed underneath the woodchips.

"If you think I'm going to ask you to push me, you are very wrong."

"I'm glad you didn't," he responded. He began his small trek over to where I sat and took a seat on the swing beside me. The chains creaked under his weight.

The silence was deafening, but it wasn't awkward. I used what little strength I had in my foot and began to push myself on the swing. My hands gripped the chains and I began to use my body as leverage and momentum to swing me higher. Ian looked up at me, acknowledging the challenge I presented.

"No."

"Fine," I replied, looking away like a pouty 5 year-old, "be a little sissy." Ian grunted in disapproval of my insult.

I soon began to slow down, height decreasing, until I came to a slow stop. I looked over to Ian and began to examine his expression. I would be lying if I said Ian's gaze didn't worried me. It wasn't bad, it just... confused me. I didn't know what _that_ look was. It made me feel weird. I have never seen someone with that expression before, let alone someone who was actually _looking_ at me.

But my thoughts trailed off when I payed attention to the _absolutely gorgeous blue eyes._

I'm going to say it and I'm going to say it once.

Hormones. Shut the fuck up.

The staring contest was interrupted when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and checked the caller id. _Since when did Miss Rosette know how to use a phone?_

I accepted the call and spoke.

"Yes ma'am?"

" _Bethany Miranda Leeran. ¿Dónde_ _coño eres tú?"_ Miss Rosette hissed. _Awww shit, Miss Rosette swore. I am going to die._

Ian smiled and turned his head forward once more. _You find this funny, you little fuck?_ _Wait... can he understand Spanish? Cool._

I sighed and answered "Estoy en mi camino a casa en este momento. No se preocupe."

"You better be," she warned and hung up. I turned off my phone and slid it back into my pocket. I missed the flip phones and how you can just snap'em closed. It was a very satisfying. Unfortunately, I would crush my phone if I tried that today. All I can do now is violently shove my phone into my pants.

"I think I should be heading home now," I groaned, rubbing my hand down my face. I stood up and began to head back to the car. Ian did the same. I stood outside the driver's door, but turned to my left and met with the chest of the big brute.

"Dude, ever heard of heard of personal space?" I looked up and at his face. _Oh my gosh, you have beautiful eyes._ _You're lucky because if it weren't for them I would be all over you._

Metaphorically of course, guys. _Get your head out of the gutter._

He seemed to be in a trance until I spoke. For a short moment I saw a little sliver of surprise, than quickly masked by... whatever that look was. He ducked his head and took a few steps back.

"My apologies."

"Accepted." I smiled a small smile and stepped into the car. When I looked out the window, Ian was gone. _How can disappear like that all the time? Oh well._

I looked forward and began to drive.

"I am _soo_ gonna get my ass whooped when I get home."

* * *

When I pulled into the driveway, it was not a pretty sight.

Miss Rosette stood in front of the side door, dressed in a gray tanktop and fuzzy Tweety Bird pajamas. Her black hair was frizzy, a lot more than usual, and she held a wooden spoon in her hand.

I slowly stepped out of the car, placing my hands on my head; just like a criminal would do.

But instead of a scolding or pain, I was met with a warm embrace from the tall woman. Wide eyed, I slowly lowered my hands.

"Uhh... Miss Rosette." And then the spell was broken.

She quickly removed her long, slender arms and a hand grabbed my left ear.

"Oww oww oww _owww!"_ She dragged me through the door and whirled back around, facing me and still holding my ear.

"Where have you been? _WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?_ "

"Shopping," I stated rapidly, scared for my life and ear, more for my ear, "Everything's in the trunk."

"Oh, okay." She was always one for very fast mood changes. It was weird at first, but... actually, we never grew used to it.

She let go of my ear and walked to the side door. She whirled around once more, the frizzy black mass of her hair waving around, and called out.

"Well aren't you going to put the groceries away?" She questioned.

I nodded my head and walked to the door.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

 _ **First Translation: Where the fuck are you?**_

 _ **Second Translation: I'm on my way home at this moment. Do not worry.**_

* * *

 **So how was that one? It was shorter than usual. It was a little easier writing them together this time. I hope it gets easier.**

 **I'm gonna be honest with you guys. This was kinda a first-time drabble of sorts. I really never expected this response. I thought it would just fade out. And like I said, I don't really know how to write romance (I will learn along the way hopefully) and this story was (loosely) based on romance. I usually find it easier to write when there is something hidden going on in the background or there is some other target other than romance. Usually the latter. I kinda went into this one blind. Bad idea. I was just so caught up in the fact that I finally got an acount setup after I got my own laptop that I just went kinda crazy.**

 **I DO HOWEVER, have another great, very out of the ordinary plot for another story that will make you question a few things. And I have it ALL thought out. The same goes for Project Sjele. There's a lot more going on than I let on in that story.**

 **So in short, I don't know what I'm goin to do with this story or how I feel about it. I might focus more on Project Sjele and the other one coming out more than this one; unless, of course you guys say otherwise. The one coming out is one I have had in my mind for 2 freakin years. A lot of changes happened to it and I bet a lot of you guys would like it. But hey, like I said, I'm just bettin.**

 **So please tell me if you want this fanfic to keep updating as fast as it has.**

 _ **If you are a beta and bored, please PM me.**_

 **Don't forget to R' and R'** **:)**

 **Question: What is your favorite... font? Mine is Calibri. I can't say it right though :b**

 _~Adamas out_


	8. Chapter 8

_**HELLllllLLLOOooooOOO**_ **everybody! Did you have a great... week? Yeah, that works. How was your week? Better than mine, I hope. I had loads of schoolwork; double actually.** **That's half the reason why this chapter might be _slightly_ late. Okay, maybe a _LOT_ late, but I'm sorry. _Please forgive me of my sins._**

 **GUESS WHAT?! Chicken butt! That's not actually it, I just felt like bein' a troll. Guess who just turned a year older? Mmhmm. This chick. I GOT ICE CREAM N' BROWNIES! _Not those types of brownies guys._**

 **This chapter may... ehh, I ain't gonna say anything.**

 **I would like to thank...**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic, Vodid, MexiGirl56, Guest, KittyKatt25, Kaida Fury,**_ ** _Bee4ever_ and _Tiryn_ FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **It makes me happy beyond words that you like this story. You've probably heard me say it a million** **times, but I mean it everytime I do say it. Jumpin' to a different subject now, the inspiration/creation of Bethany is an... _interesting one_ , to say the least. She does have a few qualities that "Ian" would be interested in. For example: I personally think that Ironhide would admire someone brave, so I made Bethany brave. _Stupidly brave_. There. Now we gotta slightly more human oc in the works. Would Ironhide like someone with smarts? Probably. So I made Bethany smart. But not so much as socially or mathematically smart. And that's not all. I can go on for _hours_. But you wanna read the chapter. SO JUST DO IT! Sorry...**

 _ **Vodid:**_ **Yeah, playgrounds aren't as fun as they used to be. But it can be fixed. All we need is someone to play with ;)**

 _ **MexiGirl56:**_ **I am very glad you're enjoying this story :D**

 _ **Guest:**_ **They are adorable, aren't they? (P.S. I actually can't tell, I have no love life to compare it against :( Well... that got incredibly depressing. Sorry.**

 _ **KittyKatt25:**_ **The decepitcons would be runnin' for the hills if Miss Rosette got a hand on them. They'd rather deal with Unicron than her. Believe me.**

 _ **Kaida Fury:**_ **Adorable** ** _and_ comical? Boy, did I hit the jackpot.**

 _ **Bee4ever:**_ **It doesn't matter to me very much whether you reviewed a month ago or a year later, I'LL LOVE IT ANYWAYS!**

 _ **Tiryn:**_ **Did I spell that right? It doesn't look like it (squints)... ANYWHO! I will gladly accept the help you have offered on the... romancy-thingy. It gets slightly easier with every fluff** **semi-filled chapter I write. I am also kinda afraid that if anyone helps me with it, it won't be as... realistic and/or relatable. But some advice would be greatly appreciated. Heaven _knows_ I need it. Also, was that an Undertale reference? **

_**Guest:**_ **Holy crap, really? (0_0)... that...** **that is creepy... but I'm glad you like the story!**

 _ **Gotta Dance 88:**_ **Yeah, I can relate to the whole 'playground' thing. And who wouldn't love fuzzy Tweety pajamas? Hehe, I would love a pair of those.**

 **Well, anyways... ALLONS-Y! Editor: (Muffled noise) Me: Haha! Who's the idiot now?**

* * *

Chapter 8

In Which Annie gets a Lesson from a Robot and I... I'm Not Entirely Sure

…

 _In the previous chapter.._

"Oww oww oww _owww!"_ She dragged me through the door and whirled back around, facing me and still holding my ear.

"Where have you been? _WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?_ "

"Shopping," I stated rapidly, scared for my life and ear, more for my ear, "Everything's in the trunk."

"Oh, okay." She was always one for very fast mood changes. It was weird at first, but... actually, we never grew used to it.

She let go of my ear and walked to the side door. She whirled around once more, the frizzy black mass of her hair waving around, and called out.

"Well aren't you going to put the groceries away?" She questioned.

I nodded my head and walked to the door.

"Yes ma'am."

…

"Oh _God,"_ I stated, eyes wide with panic and fear, "We're all going to _DIE_!" I clutched the fabric of the backseat until my knuckles turned white. I don't think I have ever, _EVER_ been this fearful for my life. I could _hear_ my heart beating out of my chest. And that's saying something when you live with an Annie and a Miss Rosette. _Speaking of Annie..._

"Miss Leeran, we haven't even _started_ the car _yet,_ " The lady in a pantsuit deadpanned, her falsified cheery expression dropping into bitchy one. Her graying hair was tied up in a tight bun; which was sure to give a headache, and she had aged lines signifying her old age and experience. That was all I could see from the back view of the backseat. The headrest blocked most of the image. _Her face probably hurts. I know mine would._

Annie was having her first driving lesson. And being the great big sis I am- ahem- _was_ , I decided to join her. Be supporting. _Forget that._

I thought I could tag along and encourage Annie. She was extremely nervous. She always liked to give the best first impression. Not excluding now. I could just _feel_ the tension rolling off her in waves. _Calm. The fuck. Down._

Boy, am I one to be talking.

"You're _not_ _helping,_ Beth," she dragged out, looking in the rear-view mirror; her hazel eyes narrowed in annoyance. _Annie looks really scary..._

"Alright, the first step is pretty obvious. You place the keys into the ignition and twist to left until the car's engine turns on," the pantsuit lady droned on, pointing in the direction of the said ignition. _Unlucky bastard. I would hate this job._ "Unless you're in a smart car, then you would press the 'start' button next to the wheel on the dash," she added on, her voice becoming more robotic and rehearsed with every syllable. _REALLY hate this job._

The pantsuit lady's eyes widened and she quickly held up a hand. _I was waitin' to see how long you would go on without noticing._

"Wait, wait, not yet," she pointed this time in the direction of the pedals, "Place your foot on the clutch all the way _then_ turn the key. Make sure it's in neutral." Annie did as told with a well-hidden nervousness. She slowly put the pedal to the floor; waiting to see if she was doing it correctly. _How on this sweet earth could you mess that up?_

She lifted her small pale hand off the steering wheel and to the keys placed in the ignition. She turned the keys with a small little jingle and the car's engine purred to life. _Ohhh she better not wreck this car. It. Just. Got._ _Fixed_ _._

"Alright, good, good," the pantsuit reaffirmed, "Now, push the shift down and into gear one," Annie's tight expression grew very focused intent on completing the action. _I don't think I can handle this..._

I chuckled lightly, and announced my will to _get the fuck out_.

"Hehe, I'm just gonna... umm...," I stammered. _I don't wanna make Annie feel worse than she already does!_

I drew in a deep breath and spoke fast. "I'm just gonna be on the sidewalk," and jumped out of the car with a speed I didn't know I could use. _Desperate times call for desperate measures._

Like _hell_ that was a desperate situation.

Great. My own _brain_ is tryin' to guilt trip me.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Annie -not her annoying antics and habits, of course- _but_ I was never good at the whole "encouraging" thing. I was just... _there._ The silent encourager. People weren't exactly my strong-suit. She knows that. _I think. At least I'm pretty sure._

She was always outgoing. Caring what people thought of her and tried to be the best. Me? I couldn't give a single flying _fuck_ what people thought of me. I cared to much before. I didn't want to disappoint myself like that _ever_ again. I spent too much energy and thought on people who didn't acknowledge me _at all._ Pointless. So I stayed away. Surrounded by me and my thoughts. Not letting anyone in. Not even Miss Rosette or Annie. I grew cold and emotionless. I _hated it._ Every moment. I suppose the saying is true _. The ones who don't care were the ones who cared too much._

I looked up from the gray pavement and at the parking lot, then to the sky. It was a gray day out; the sun hidden above even darker gray clouds, rolling on winds hundreds of feet in the sky. _Is it go_ _nna_ _rain?_

The some-what warm breeze ruffled my hair into my face. I brushed it away and looked back at the parking lot. The small white Mazda was a few feet ahead of where it started. The right side of my lips tilted up just slightly. _She's getting there._

My thoughts took an unexpected turn when Ian came to mind. _Damnit. He annoys me even when he's not here._

I was surprised when I thought longer on. It wasn't the first time he came to the front of my thoughts, but all those times I just tossed it aside and began to think about somethin' stupid. _Why can't I do that now?_

I barely knew the guy and I already considered him more than an acquaintance. He was a nice guy, I'll admit and _by God was he gorgeous,_ but that gave no excuse or lead on why I thought of him like so. _Why did I think of him in the first place?_

Not only was he nice... well, _kinda_ nice; he kept his space and listened to what I said, no matter how long or short I rambled on. _Okay, he doesn't really know how to keep his space, but at least he doesn't_ _breathe down my neck like a horny jock._

 _Hold up..._

What. The. Fuck. Hormones. _You're makin' me sound like a terrible character from an equally terrible sappy romance movie._

That is _not okay._

I was jolted out of my thoughts when something hit me. _What the fudge_ _ice cream_ _..._

When I turned I came face to face with the brightest green eyes I've ever seen. _WHY THE_ _FLIPPITY-FLOPPITY FUCK_ _DOES EVERYONE HAVE SUCH BRIGHT FUCKING EYES?!_ _Calm down, Beth. You don't want to give yourself a stroke._

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, lowering the hand with an Ipod situated in it and pulled out her left earbud with the other. She then brushed the dirty blue-streaked locks - _which looks awesome-_ away that had fallen into her eyes. _Hair's a bitch, isn't? But at least yours is pretty._

What? There's nothin' wrong with pointing out something obvious. _Stop with the judging._

"I didn't see you there." She looked back up and gave a dazzling smile. _Dang, those are some white teeth. That's... that's a very strange thing to say. Think. Not say._ _ **Definitely**_ _not say. Boy, would that be awkward._

Not like I haven't done awkward things before.

"It's okay," I replied giving a small smile.

And she walked away.

Well... she was a nice lady.

* * *

"Well, the instructor-lady said I did _great._ So HA!" Annie chided playfully, pointing a finger in my direction while she grabbed a handful of Goldfish. She had brought a plastic sandwich bag filled to the brim with the golden fishies, saying that "there was nothing wrong with bringing an emergency snack." _Well, I can't argue with that logic._ _But the car is still a mess._

"Annie, I don't think she had much sanity left 'n her," I explained holding out a flat palm. _What? I can't have some fishies too?_

Annie in response, clutched the bag into her chest and hissed. _Well, it looks Annie agrees with you._

"You may be right, but a compliment is a compliment, so I'm taking it either way."

I peeked out of the corner of my and glanced at the blondie.

"Even if it's from a crazy robot woman?" Annie then loosed her death grip on the plastic bag and lifted her hands up into the air. The bag spewed a few golden bits here and there.

"SKYNET HAS TAKEN OVER! EVERYONE IN TO THE BUNKERS!" she shrieked, pulling her hands back down from the roof and over her head and curling herself in. _Looks like the dramatic streak is a genetic thing._

She uncurled herself and grabbed the bag from the floor, picking up a few of the fishies while she was at it. She then proceeded to sit upright and... _toss the fishies from the floor into her mouth._

 _Does she not know about the monstrosities growing on that floor?_

I turned my head back and focused on the road.

"What? 5 second rule."

"I know, but _jeez Annie._ You gotta draw the line there. That floor is _disgusting._ " Annie said nothing in return. The crunching sound of the brutal murders of the snacks made for an awkward silence.

" _WAIT!"_

Nope. I am not fallin' for that prank _again_. That's what got this car in the shop in the first place.

"BETHANY I'M SERIOUS! STOP THE CAR! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!" _You can keep it up, Annie. But I ain't listening,_ I sing-songed. _There it is again. I still wonder if it's a word. I'm a hafta look it up when we get home._

"Fine then," she pouted crossing her arms, "You just missed seeing the biggest truck ever..." _Why would I ever wanna se- hold on..._

What...

"And it was in Sam's driveway."

I don't think I have ever hit the brakes harder.

One word repeated over and over in my head, one that would make Miss Rosette brandish a wooden spoon like a knife.

 _Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck **FUCK!**_

The golden snack bits flew into the front window and Annie jerked forward, her head inches away from the dash. Her confused features morphed into an offended one. _Oh boy, here comes the evil eye._

As predicted, an evil eye was delivered, but served ineffective. _Years of practice, my readers, years of practice._ _And a_ _twisted_ _Pokemon reference._

" _What_ was _that_ for?" Annie glared in my direction, her eyes darkened. I just ignored it. _Usually a mistake on my part._

I looked around for any oncoming cars. Nothing. _Great._

Neighborhoods like this one- _or community, I should say-_ is pretty peaceful. _Pretty. Peaceful. The Witwicky's and us ruined our communtity's 'most quiet' record. I couldn't believe that was actually a thing. Well at least_ _until_ _we got the 'most rambunctious' title._

I shifted the car into reverse and looked behind me, arm against the passenger seat for leverage. I let off the brake and began to drive backwards. _Something I hate to do, but I'm too lazy to actually do a u-ie_.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? A reverse race against a ghost car?"

"Haha. You. Are. Hilarious _,"_ she replied, rolling her eyes and tossing her head to the side. her enthusiasm _oh-so-obviously_ faked. Correction. _Nonexistent._ _She tries to be funny, but I set high expectations._

"Thanks, it's to make up for your lack of humor."

Annie's jaw dropped.

"You. Did. Not just..."

"Oh, yes I did. I just gave you the BEST BURN EVER!" I cheered, "Ya better put some ice on that one."

Annie growled. And then her eyes lit up. Nope. _Annie don't you fuckin dare._

"Annie, don't ev- AHAHA STAHP!" I cried, praying for mercy from the tickles besieging me. _Why thou doist this to me?_

"Never."

"Ahahah, An-Annie pl...please st-stop-p, I'm, I'm driving!" The tickles receded, finally allowing for me to breathe. _Damnit Annie, we could've crashed!_

"Fine," she pouted, slouching in the seat, "You got lucky this time." I smiled at her little threat and looked back out the rear window. _She's so cute when she gets angry._

When we drove up -ahem- _reversed_ to the Witwicky's driveway, the smell of soap and cleaning products was hard to ignore. _Holy mother of Windex, that is strong._

"Hey Sam!" Annie shouted, waving an arm out the window. Sam turned his attention from the bubble covered Camaro and over to us. Mikeala did the same, backing away from the car door and over to the bumper. Sam walked over, also covered in soap.

"Sup ladies," he greeted, leaning his crossed arms on the door. _Sam, how many times must I explain to you that, under any circumstances, are not to try to be smooth?_

"So watchya doing? A car wash?" Annie peeked her head around Sam's shoulder and sat back down, "Looks like it," she added.

"Yeah, we are," He paused and took a step back, observing the not-so-clean state of the little white car and smiled. "Looks like your car needs a wash, Beth." _Oh Sam and his constant lack of money._

"Okay, first of all, how dare you insult baby," pointing an accusing finger at him, _something I do pretty often,_ "And second, are you really that desperate to get into college? I thought you said you would get a scholarship if you aced the test?" I stared at Sam for an explanation. The guilty look on his face answered my question. I sighed and placed my head in my hands.

"Anyways," I waved my hand, brushing it off. I had already scolded Sam enough.

"Seriously," I paused, leaning back trying to look past Sam and see the suds covered car, not noticing the black beast seated next to the run-downed garage, "A car wash? A _flippin_ _g_ car wash?"

"It's hot outside okay? Plus the cars were dirty," he explained but was interrupted when Mikeala walked up with Bailey trailing behind. Bailey wore tan cargo shorts and a black t-shirt while Mikeala wore short jean shorts and a soaked black tank-top. _Looks like Bailey got the hose._

"Hey, don't be dissing the car wash. I-" Bailey stumbled, pulling a hand out of his pocket, "The cars really deserved it."

Annie chuckled and responded. "Don't you mean one car and one huge truck?" she gestured her hand out the window. I was, on the other hand, confused as to what the _hell_ she was talking about. Apparently I completely missed _and_ forgot about the big ass truck sitting in the driveway. _And my horrible memory never fails to disappoint._

Bailey threw his head back and laughed. When he calmed down, he looked back down and straight at Annie. "Yup. I still don't understand why he doesn't get sweet rims like mine. He's _so_ _slow_ ," he commented the last part under his breath. As soon as he finished, the loud footfalls of someone _all to fucking familiar_ were heard. _My brain was once again to slow to recog_ _n_ _ize them until it was to late._ _Fuck you brain, fuck you._

"I heard that, and I am not slow," a deep voice - _that did not sound one bit amused-_ defended. I could feel my cheeks begin to grow hot...

 _And fuck you too, hormones._

"C'mon, Beth," Sam pleaded. Momentarily forgetting about the man walking around to _the driver's side_ of the car and began to dread the question about to be dropped. _Oh boy, here it comes._

"Sam, no, don't you _dare."_ I didn't acknowledge the little _tap tap_ on my window. _He's gonna do it._

"Ask yourself this: What would Jesus do?"

I threw my hands up in the air, exasperated.

" _Goddamnit,_ Sam!" I yelled. My knuckle failed to avoid the steering wheel and a loud _crack_ resounded through the tiny car. A sharp pain flew up my hand and I felt my face shift into a wide-eyed, dropped-jaw expression. _It would probably remind you of that wolf-meme thing._

"HOLY FUDGE!" I screeched, grasping my hand in a death-grip. "THAT FUDGING HURT!" _The fucking swear filter_ _will be the death of my reputation._ _Not my brightest moment,_ _though,_ _I will admit._

Laughs broke out amongst the people around me. I let go of my hand and dropped into my best _"fuck you"_ face. Particularly aimed at Sam, who was laughing so hard he was kneeling beside the car.

"Glad you find my pain entertaining," I commented dryly, " _Really_ feelin' the love, guys." _And it was_ _n't_ _even that funny._

Bailey managed to speak past his gasping laughs. "It's...ahaha... it's you-your... haha s-swearing," he gasped again. _Oh wow._

"Fudging? Really?" Mikaela giggled her cute little giggle. _Descriptions. I'm great at them._

"The swear filter," Annie explained, also taking in deep breaths of air, "It's almost always on, even when I'm not around." _Why must you betray me like this?_

"A swear filter? And you get upset with me over a _ca_ _r wash_."

 _...Touché, Sam, touché._

I waved my hand absentmindedly at the side of my face. "Fine, fine. I'll go to your stupid car wash." With no response, Sam jumped up and ran off, while Bailey trailed behind, only to stop at the Camaro and continue cleaning. _Well then._

Mikaela glanced right then left, looking for who-knows-what. The smile grew wider on Mikaela's face and she walked on closer to the car. _What the fuck is she thinking? I don't think I've ever seen such a devious look on her before._

"Might wanna grab your bathing suit, or grab some extra clothes."

"Nope. NOPE!" I replied quickly, pointing a finger at her, "That is not gonna happen." _I will die before anyone will see me in a bathing suit._

Annie then decided to butt in and turned to look at me. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a bikini." _Annie no._ _Just. Shut. Up. I don't need you doing this to me._

I faced forward once more. "And you never will," I shot with a serious expression, "I don't even think I _own_ a bathing suit." _Another tap-tap on the window._

"I suppose we're going to have to buy some for you."

I turned to face her again and gave her the "are you serious?" face. "I have said it once and I'll say it again: NOPE!"

"What's wrong with it?" she prodded, leaning on the side of the car, "Don't like showing skin?"

I turned my head forward once again and didn't respond, a pouty look written on my features. Annie just sat and glanced back and forth between the two of us.

 _What? I don't need people shaming me for my... I dunno what you would call it. Huh._

Mikaela laughed at the rebellious response. "Got it," and walked off to Sam. _ANOTHER FUCKING TAP-TAP._

I whipped my head over to _whoever_ was assaulting the poor window of my Mazda, only to come face to face with the cheeky blue-eyed bastard himself. _And he was fucking smirking._

I felt my face drop into and dead expression and my cheeks starting to grow warm. _Awww fuck._

I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes. I rolled down the window and managed to drone out a couple of well intended words.

"What do you want?"

 _Okay, maybe not my best ever._

He didn't say anything.

I began to grow annoyed, and I didn't bother hiding it.

"Yeees?"

Silence.

I heard Annie begin to giggle quietly, the sound muffled by her hand.

"If you don't have anything to say..."

More silence.

"Well then, I'll just be on my merry way," I sing-songed, turning to stick the keys in the ignition. _There that word -or is it words?- is again._

I dropped the keys.

"Ahh, fuck me," I whined as I bent over to reach the fallen items.

"At least let me buy you dinner first."

I felt my blood freeze.

 _Did he just..._

I looked up to see him smirking once again, only his shit-eating grin was the slightest bit cheekier.

 _He fucking did._

No. Fucking. Way.

* * *

 **Whew, this one took longer than it should have.**

 **Oh no's! A...cliffhanger? That's a cliffhanger, right? The end was gonna be really different, but I found this tumblr post and I just couldn't help myself. Looks like Ian is getting into the pesky human lingo! A realistic romance? Pssshh, what's that? But seriously, I thought it was time for a little progress. _Pftt, more like a giant leap._ I don't need your commentary right now, Beth. **

**This chapter was going to be _waaay_ longer, but if I did that, the update probably wouldn't have come until a lot later. Sorry for the long wait. :(**

 **NOTE*:** **Slight change in set up at the top is gonna happen, so kudo's and responses will be down here from now on.**

 _ **If you are a beta and bored please PM me. Or not. It's your choice.**_

 **Don't forget to R' and R'. I really love hearing from you guys! It's a great confidence boost!**

 **Question: Autobot or Decepticon? And why? The only reason I would choose Autobot's is so Optimus wouldn't beat the crap outta me. Or Ironhide. _Take your pick._**

 _~Adamas out_


	9. Chapter 9

**Ayy yooo! What's up, my homies? How was your day? Mine was great, I did nothing but write. I'm pretty sure you guys** _ **might**_ **hate me for this, but hey, it's part o' da job. So death threats and such will result in a plate of hot virtual cookies thrown at th** **ine** **face.** **I've also come to realize just** _ **how long**_ **of a title "Walking Through the Dark with a Dead Flashlight" is. I look at it like everyone else has got these nice,** _ **short**_ **titles that relate to the fanfic somehow... and then there's me, with a title that practically screams "I DON'T GIVE A FLIP!" I shouldn't let Beth pick titles anymore.**

 **S** **O recently, I decided to read over the first few chapters and I was appalled at all the mistakes and especially how horribly written they were (lol like it isn't any better.) I wrote the thing and I didn't like it. But as I said at the end of chapter 6 -it** _ **was**_ **chapter 6, right?- this is a first time drabble of sorts -** _ **a really bad one at that-**_ **but when I look at it from a different standpoint, it's a good thing. I'm slowly learning how to write. And that's important** **, considering all things.** **Here, on this website, I can learn from my mistakes and get help to learn how to not only fix them, but to make them better...** **but I still wanna edit the previous chapters. AND I WOULD, TOO! If it weren't for the fact they were deleted... so yeah. That sucks.**

 **Kudos 'n stuff is and will be down at the bottom due to reorganizing. I love talking to you guys but I bet my breakfast burrito you wanna read the chapter more.**

 _ **Anyways...**_ **Let's get on with it! (Knocks sound on my door) Me: Aww, shoot. Heh heh, be right back... ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter 9

In Which I... Err... You Know What? Screw Titles

...

 _In the previous chapter..._

"Ahh, fuck me," I whined as I bent over to reach the fallen items.

"At least let me buy you dinner first."

I felt my blood freeze.

 _Did he just..._

I looked up to see him smirking once again, only his shit-eating grin was the slightest bit cheekier. _He fucking did._

No. Fucking. Way.

…

I didn't know what to say. I was legit speechless. I could feel my heart beating at a million miles per hour in panic. My palms were sweaty and I could feel my nails cut into my hand. I was biting my tongue so hard, that if I didn't let up soon, I was sure to bite it off. _What the fuck was I supposed to say? What the fucking shit was I supposed to fucking do?!_

I looked back at Ian with the best "no funny business" I could muster, mixed in with the best "fuck you" face. So in short, I was giving him a glare that would put him six feet under. _He fucking deserves it._ I didn't say anything as he continued to lay his arm against the window and his smirk grow a little mischievous. _W_ _hy_ _the hell_ _do you have such pretty eyes?_ I could feel my cheeks begin to redden and my ear tips begin to burn when he shifted his face a little closer. _First of all, awkward and uncomfortable._ _S_ _econd of all, f_ _uck you, Ian, fuck you. Fuck you and your gorgeous blue eyes. Fuck you and your perfect hair. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU! And go screw yourself._

Ian raised an eyebrow in question. I pursed my lips and looked down, my eyebrows furrowed in thought. Angry and volatile thoughts. I felt a strange feeling rise up in my chest and I didn't like single bit. It was too... _hopeful_. Hopeful for what? I didn't want to guess. It felt like my chest was caving in on itself and then set on fire. My stomach felt weird, too. The best way to describe it was "bubbly." _Fucking "bubbly."_ My throat felt tight, strained with the need to shriek and my legs demanded to just get up and _run_. _Boy, am I tempted to run right now._

What did he even mean? _Did_ he even mean it? I just couldn't understand, but if he meant... _hold up, was I really thinking about this? Was I REALLY considering this?!_ I glanced back up at Ian, locking eyes. There was no doubt about it, he was actually asking... I think. He still had that damn smirk on his face! I felt the strange want to punch it off, but if I did, I would probably hurt my hand more than him. I heard Annie snort in a failed attempt to stifle her laugh, quickly opening the car door and flying straight out of the vehicle, nearly hitting her head on the felt roof of the car in her escapade.

I refused to look back at Ian, my expression tight and stubborn like a pouting five year-old who wasn't getting what they wanted. _This is what you fucking ge_ _t. Are you happy now?_

I heard him sigh and pull away, the shuffling of clothes becoming more quiet but the sounds of footfalls were missing. I slowly turned my head a slight bit to see if he had _finally_ walked away, but I was wrong. He stood up straight in his awesome jacket, staring off at who-knows-what and ruffling a hand through his black hair, his other hand resting in his pocket. He took a glimpse back at me out of the corner of his cobalt eyes, and smiled again, the corner of his lips turning up in his signature smirk _that I absolutely hated._ He turned away and ducked his head, chuckling under his breath. He lifted his head back up and began to stroll away.

"I'll take that as a yes."

My jaw dropped, my eyes widening. I shot my head out the window and gaped at the retreating form of Ian. _Oh no. Oh nononono. He didn't... no. NO! Just all sorts of no up in this bitch._ _He won't get away with that one._ _Little 5'3 me is going to beat that into his skull before that ever happens and_ _I'm_ _not_ _gonna_ _give a_ _single._ _F_ _lying._ _F_ _uck about it._

So, just like my stupid and beyond idiotic ass would, I forcefully shoved the poor little door of my baby open, not-so-gracefully stumbled out of the car, quickly recovering, standing up with my shoulders brought back in a proud manner. My hands were gripped tightly at my sides and I could feel my nails cutting into my palms again so hard they were bound to shed some blood. My shoulders were stiff and tense, practically from the absolute _rage_ that I felt towards that undeniable douchebag.

I didn't know why I was acting -let alone _feeling-_ like this, my chest filled with a horrible ache -no- _irritation,_ that for the love of God would not go away. My knees wanted to wobble and shake and collapse under the nonexistent weight in my stomach, Why did I have this feeling?! WHY?! Why was I fucking feeling like this? The questions wanted me to bash my own skull against the nearest brink wall. Wanted me to clutch my head in my hands and scream until my throat was scratched raw. Was it because of this assbag I barely knew? Was it my obnoxious and annoying-as-shit hormones acting up? Was it both? I raked through my mind, trying to rack up reasonable idea that _actually_ made the slightest bit of sense, but stupidity and half-assed theories were all that my pointless, _good-for-nothing, God forsaken pile of mush_ _called my_ _brain came up with._ Now I wanted to face-palm myself into oblivion a thousand times over.

But before I realized I did it, I shouted angrily at the handsome man walking away with a scowl of unadulterated disgust and annoyance on my face, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. My stance was that of someone about to pick a fight with a person they shouldn't even _think_ about messing with. I was biting the inside of my cheek when the metallic taste of blood tinged my tongue, almost making me cringe from the unexpected tang of the crimson liquid.

Ian turned his head back in my direction in response, eyebrows lifted in curiosity and the corner of his lips tilted up slightly in amusement. "Yes?" he mused as he turned and leaned against the back of the little white Mazda, dipping slightly under his weight. _Jeez, he can't be that heavy._

"You-err, I... uhh," I stumbled unintelligibly, looking for something to retort back with or flat out insult him, but decided to go with something a little more well thought-out. _FUCK IT ALL!_

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I spat. I wasn't going to bother with the pleasantries - _pftt, like I ever did-_ any longer, especially when this son of a bitch didn't deserve a single bit of it.

But when a confused countenance washed over Ian's face, I couldn't help but feel like the one at fault. I felt my legs falter and my hands loosen, only for them to tighten back up up even stronger. _Damn, that hurts my hand._ I barely noticed the way shoulders became rigid along with his blue eyes became attentive and cautious. _Did I do something... oh wait, no, I shouted and cursed at him, questioning him. Mmhmm, there_ _i_ _s that_ _minor detail_ _._

I quickly set my train of thought back on the man before me, the look on his face striking a nerve I fully and wholly wanted to ignore. "Don't- Don't you look at me like that!" I shouted accusingly. Ian's face returned to it's normal cheeky state, his shoulders slouching lazily. _God_ damn, _you are handsome._ SHUT UP HORMONES! _NOT_ _NOW!_

He stayed his distance and chuckled, lowering his head and shaking it in what I would guess to be disbelief. He lifted his head back up and spotted brown met deep, unnatural blue. "Look at you how? Like this?" he shifted an elbow and placed it on top of the trunk, "Or are you just bothered by my presence?" he voiced, tilting his head sideways. I felt my blood begin to boil and my cheeks become a strawberry red. His smirk became larger. He was enjoying this. _He may be gorgeous, but he is a complete and utter_ _dickbag_ _._

This man has made me upset and was going to pay the price through verbal burns. I stood up straight and nonchalantly placed a hand on my hip, brushing back the red and black flannel behind my back. A smug look appeared on my features, a small arrogant smirk tugging at the corners of my lips. I brushed a hand through my hair, tossing it to the side, and held out a hand carelessly.

"'Bothered?' ' _Bothered_?'" I repeated tauntingly, leaning forward slightly, before returning back standing straight, leaning on my left hip, "'Bothered' is an understatement. More like..." I hummed in thought, looking up at the clear sky. _It wasn't this nice earlier._ I dropped my head and returned Ian's gaze. "More like extremely beleaguered and irritated. The I-want-to-pull-all-my-hair-out irritated." I bobbed my head to the words, trying to emphasize the harsh statement. The tall man's expression didn't falter. He stood up and walked a couple of steps closer, staying alongside the white car. I took a step back, but we were still a good five feet apart. I had to fight the creeping feeling of confusion from showing on my face. _Wait... what are you doing? No no, you stay the hell away from me. Go awa- Hey! What is_ _ **with**_ _ **that**_ _look?!_

Ian closed his eyes and shrugged, holding out a hand in the similar haphazard style. He shook his head once again, that _fucking smirk_ still splayed across his lips, and spoke, a mischievous tone underlying it. "Well that answers my other question, but you never did answer my first one."

Huh? What "first question?" What is he talking about?

" _At least let me buy you dinner first."_ Oh.

Goddamn, my memory sucks.

BUT THAT'S NOT A QUESTION! ...Technically speaking. I'm going to ignore the implication for now because _reasons. Pffttt, like that would last long._

My hand slid down from my hip and crossed it over my chest. I pursed my lips and furrowed my eyebrows, mustering a pathetic glare. What felt like a hole in my chest appeared and my stomach felt like I had swallowed a barrel of lead. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, and I didn't enjoy it at all. My heart was pounding so loud behind my rib cage, I feared the man in front of me could hear the unsteady repetitious thumping.

Silence and something along the lines of tension hung in the air, Ian still awaiting a response. And a response was what he was gonna get. I was NOT going to beat around the bush to make this asshole feel better about himself. Nope. Not gonna happen.

 _Never would I realize that I was going to beat around the bush for my own sake._

I gave a quick, brisk, and a no-room-for-an-argument answer.

"No."

I didn't expect his smirk to tilt up the slightest bit when he walked off composed, hands shoved inside his jean pockets.

 _...Was that a chick flick moment? Did I just participate in a chick flick moment?_

Oh dear god above, are you fucking kidding me.

* * *

"Two down, one to go," Sam sighed in exhaustion, wiping an arm across his forehead, still grasping a soaked sponge, ridding the surface of the perspiration. _Gross._ He dropped the hose and walked over to the faucet -is that what it's called? An outside faucet?- twisting the nob, successfully shutting off the cold-ass water. _My hands are numb. And purple. Let's not forget purple._ I rubbed my hands together in an attempt to bring at least a little feeling back into the discolored limbs.

We had finished washing down the down the Camaro, which was covered in a _lot_ more dirt than I thought it was. Correction, it wasn't dirt. It was dried, salt powder-like remains from the -you guessed it- salt that they put on the roads, only... they do that to help unfreeze icy roads up north when they get really bad. How do I know? The summer home in Watkins Glen makes a great winter home, too. _There are some great sledding hills up in the rural area of the town. Just watch out for the angry farmers/ wine makers. I swear, half that town is constantly drunk._

The observation of the dust brought a few questions to the front of my mind. Why was there stuff for freezed-over roads when we're in the ever burning and dry Nevada? I had asked Sam about it, only to have Ian come out of fucking _nowhere,_ scare the shit out of me in the process -not that I would admit it- and say it's "classified." Why was the Camaro with them on a _military_ mission? The big ass truck I can understand -finally noticed the beast of a vehicle- but not the Camaro, man. _Anything but the Camaro!_ Well, at least it's clean now. That was when I noticed the same pale dust on the black truck. _I'm done. I've had enough of the bubbles._ I picked up the sponge and dropped into the suds filled bucket, wiping my hands on the sides of my jeans on instinct in an attempt to dry them. _Holy shit crap fuck, that's cold._

"Yo Beth!" Sam called from the steps in front of the side door, a glass cup of Mr. Witwicky's strawberry lemonade now in hand. _Sure hope Mrs. Witwicky didn't slip anything "special" into it like last time._ Mikaela sat beside him, a clear glass filled with the same gradient pink substance. Bailey leaned against the pole holding up the little roof above the entrance way, a full cup of the summer drink still untouched in his grasp. I had dropped Annie off at the house before coming back for the car wash. She said she had to study for a test coming up, and not wanting to fail of course, she wanted to return home. Sometimes her dedication to her schoolwork worries me. She works so _hard,_ I'm afraid she would one day keel over from the stress. I mentally shook my head, knowing that, while she wasn't as... err, "laid back" as me, she never pushed herself to far.

I glanced around the neat property -Mr. Witwicky wouldn't have it any other way- and noticed the missing arrogant persona. _Wonder where Ian is... no, no I don't wonder where that fucker is._ Thankfully Sam interrupted the little internal rage fit."We're taking a break."

I rolled my eyes dramatically, "I didn't need you to tell me that," I replied, leaning against the driver's door of the Camaro, facing the relaxing group. Mikaela snickered, raising the glass to her lips and sipping the drink.

"Yeah, yeah," he groaned, "As I was _going_ to say..." Sam paused and glanced at the behemoth behind me, "In exchange for the car wash, you help us clean the truck." I raised an eyebrow, hardly able to withhold the exasperated annoyance from awning over my face.

"So instead of money," I held out a hand to the said truck, "You want me to help you? Thought you needed the college money," I deadpanned, my eyes narrowing at Sam. Every now and then I question his mental stability, more often than not, but at least he ain't an ax-murderer-crazy. As long as he doesn't start rambling on about slow dancing aliens, I think we'll be perfectly fine. I shivered unconsciously. _Stuff of nightmares_ _is what that is._

Sam mumbled under his breath, something about working a little more wouldn't hurt, or he could just ask nest about it. Nest? What the fuck, Sam? _Please don't tell me you're on drugs. I WILL tell your mother._ The spastic teen made another mumbled comment about how "it would be easier." I couldn't help but feel the slightest bit on edge from the uttered remark. Also curious.

"What the hell is 'nest'?"

This caught Bailey's attention. His eyes shot over from the full glass over in my direction. His eyes widen and he quickly broke the connection, looking up at the now painted sunset sky. Why was he acting so skitterish? I turned my gaze over to Sam, who also had a similar panicked expression. He tilted the glass and downed the contents a little too rapidly. Sam gasped for breath and held up the empty crystal glass, observing it no longer had anymore of the sweet drink, before announcing he was going to get some more. He struggled to get up and stumbled over to the door, rushing inside leaving the door to fall shut on its own. I glanced at Mikaela for some answers concerning the strange behavior of the two -she always seemed like the most sane out of the group- but she continued to sit there, slowly sipping the drink with the greatest poker face and a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Her eyes had an entertained look in the pale blue depths. What was so funny?

"Don't worry about it," she reassured, lowering the glass, "It's a couple of friends who helped us during Mission City." Oh. Okie dokie then.

The sound of ringing resonated through the silent space. The noise was from the little cellular device in my back pocket. I lifted the little touchscreen phone out and held it, thumb hovering over the "answer" button and gave a small wave of goodbye to the black-haired beauty as I walked out of hearing range. I checked the caller id -gotta change my ringtones soon- recognizing it as Annie's, and accepted the call. _She never likes to text me... probably because I somehow stink at it. Even Miss Rosette said I did._

"What's up, blondie?" I teased, lifting the phone to my ear. Annie always hated the nickname, why? I could only guess because of the "dumb blonde" stereotype. If anyone were to break that stereotype, it wouldn't be her. I chuckled at the little thought. Annie wasn't stupid -if anything, she was smarter than me- but don't underestimate her idiocy. Her most common excuse for these... lapses in common sense were what she liked to call -and I quote- "brain-farts." _I wonder where all the intelligence from our bastard parents went. I'm just glad we didn't inherit their...well, you know what I'm talking about._

"Don't call me that," she ground out. She took a deep breath and exhaled, "Miss Rosette was too tired to cook anything today, so she decided to order some pizza instead. Don't worry," she rushed. I could picture her waving her hand in reassurance, "She got the New York style. She ordered the wings, too." I laughed quietly, shifting the phone into my other hand.

"Looks like she finally remembered the entire thing. Took her long enough," I mumbled quietly. Last thing I needed was the frizzy-haired woman after me again. A muffled and distorted "I heard that!" was heard from the other side. Annie cackled and responded.

"I have you on speaker phone, by the way."

"I hate you."

"I love you, too. Now get the pizza, I'm hungry," she demanded and then proceeded to hang up. I naturally returned the phone in my back in the pocket from whence it came. I walked back to the side door of the Witwicky's home and peeked inside. I spotted Mikaela, Sam, and Bailey standing around the island in the kitchen, engaged in conversation. I called out to Sam and tossed fifteen bucks onto the floor -because I can- explaining I had to leave early. Sam made a dejected face and stuttered, but I was already on my way to my baby. I knew what he was going to ask for a little extra money, so I threw in three more dollars. _See? I'm not_ _THAT_ _mean,_ _even if it cost me a candy bar._

I slid into the drivers seat and turned on the ignition, driving out of the driveway and onto the road. If only I had seen the police car behind me...

* * *

 **Aaaaaand I'm evil. MUAHAHA! Did anyone catch the Supernatural reference that also may not be just a Supernatural reference?**

 _ **I would like to thank...**_

 _ **Bee4ever, CarsCars2Fanatic, Kaida Fury, Gotta Dance 88, zRedgrave,**_ **and** ** _Cutejayjay2011_ FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **Bee4ever:**_ **I laughed my head off (don't worry, I reattached it) when I heard ya. That. Is. Hilarious. Also, I hope you feel better soon!**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **Lol, sometimes stupid isn't that bad after all. I mean hey, we get to read this disaster of a story because of it. XD And I'm sorry-not-sorry for this chapter /(*-*)/**

 _ **Kaida Fury:**_ **It was funny, wasn't it? I had a feeling I'd get a few laughs outta that XD It was fun to write, too. I'm also glad someone agrees with me on the "why I choose the Autobots."**

 _ **Gotta Dance 88:**_ **Didn't see that comin' did ya? I'm happy you liked the cameo. I was a little worried about it, to be honest, so I was really glad it was okay.**

 _ **zRedgrave:**_ ***Munches on delicious cookies* Here is your chapter! ...even though it's not that wondrous. Still sorry-not-sorry...** **can I still get those hugs, maybe? XD**

 _ **Cutejayjay2011:**_ **I'm still writin' away! And when I read that, I almost started crying it was so funny! I hope you're okay!**

 **Listening to you guys always makes my day, so I hope this chapter makes yours too. It's the least I can do for all the support you guys show. I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more! I love listening to you guys!**

 _~Adamas out_


	10. Chapter 10

**Welcome back, lovelies! Sorry if this is overdue, I had a lot of school work (the classic reason XD) but I also really REALLY wanted this to be a good chapter, so it took a while to write and I didn't want anything to be... well, off. Ya get my drift, right? But if I thought you guys would hate me for the last one... let's just end here before I say somethin' stupid...**

 **Well away with me, there's a chapter waiting for you :)**

* * *

Chapter 10

In Which I Get Beat the Hell Up

...

 _In the previous chapter..._

I called out to Sam and tossed fifteen bucks onto the floor -because I can- explaining I had to leave early. Sam made a dejected face and stuttered, but I was already on my way to my baby. I knew what he was going to ask for a little extra money, so I threw in three more dollars. __See? I'm not THAT mean, even if it cost me a candy bar.__

I slid into the drivers seat and turned on the ignition, driving out of the driveway and onto the road. If only I had seen the police car behind me...

…

The mellow and graceful voice of a woman singing rang through the small space of the tiny vehicle, the slowly-growing-louder beat behind the melodious lyrics making me instinctively nod my head along with it without my notice. That is, until a tassel of dark hair fell in front of my line of vision, effectively killing the little yellow demon bird on the dimly lit screen. _To be honest, I almost just chucked my phone out the window._

"God _fucking_ damnit," I ground out between my teeth, clenching my jaw a little too tight. The score read "14." _I can't play this game for shit. Can't even make it past 15, for crying out loud._ I exhaled and shut my eyes. "That's enough of Tweety Bird's rendition of hell for now," I groaned. I open the dual-colored orbs and turned my gaze to the time in the top right corner, hoping for a distraction from the _absolutely infuriating_ rage game. _The developers did their job a little too well for my liking._ The little numbers wrote out "6:57." I glanced out the front of the windshield. The scene was dark, besides the tiny amounts of light seeping out through the cracks in the window shades. With that dim illumination, the cracks in the sidewalk were barely visible and you could just barely make out the pizzeria's "Welcome" sign. It was a small shop nestled between two apartment buildings not so far away from the intersection with the two cozy cafés and the tattoo shop. _An odd set-up, if you ask me._

I slumped into the driver's seat, tossing the cellular device into the one beside me, and sighed again, my shoulders dropping from their previous tense position. My eyes fell shut, the pain behind pulsing behind them from staring at the little screen becoming quite the nuisance. I switched the crossed feet placed on the dashboard, my right foot starting to become numb. The dreaded feeling of pins and needles causing me to shake my foot, only to whack it against the hard glass of the windshield.

 _Aww shit fuck owww, that hurt._

Turning back to the subject I was about address _before I was so rudely interrupted,_ I contemplated whether or not I should get a little snack. The pizza usually takes about half an hour to be finished -perfection takes time, my readers- and I had been sitting here bored out of my _mind_ for only ten minutes. _I really don't think I can stand twenty more minutes of that horror game without throttling someone._

"Yeah, a snack doesn't sound too bad," I hummed thoughtfully to myself. And I swear, not four seconds later, my stomach growled in agreement with the pleasant idea. I stared down at my stomach and my lips turned up a slight bit at the corner. "I'm glad it's a unanimous vote," I chimed humorously.

I snagged the small leather wallet from the possession of the passenger seat and open the little car door, sliding out of the cramped seat. I stood up and stretched, grabbing my elbow and pulled it behind my head. I dropped the limbs with a loose swing and rolled my head in circles until a satisfying 'pop' was heard. Annie always thought that was gross, but ironically, she's the one with the double-jointed elbows. Goosebumps found their way onto my skin and I shivered. _Double-jointed elbows are not only creepy but_ _just_ _flat out weird._ _Not to mention it's kinda brisk out here._

I looked at the lit building ahead and observed the dark alley ways at the sides of the brick structure. If I remembered correctly... there should be a little stairway down to the sweet shop on the right side of the pizzeria. The sweet shop was a small one, practically the basement of the stone apartment complexes. It had a small parking lot, well, if you only count the part the shop actually _owned._ The candy heaven's parking lot was only a tiny corner of the full fledged thing, the rest was owned by a dollar store, and a 1960s styled diner. The throw-back restaurant was placed right up against the road while the dollar store was a ways behind the grease factory. You had to go through the diner's plot of the parking lot to get to the dollar store's, unless you took the stairs from the alley way down of course. _An even more odd set-up. Jeez, this town is_ _bizarre._

I began to stroll over to the dark stretch between the buildings and saw that my horrible memory turned out to be right for once. _Woohoo, candy here I come._ I bounded down the steps like a child and turned to the right, the clear glass of the small store almost blinding me in the process. _Holy flipping... flipping what? Pancakes? Pancakes are good._

The little bell above the door jingled when I entered, signaling my arrival to my heaven. _PREPARED TO BE DEVOURED, SUGARY TREATS OF UNHEALTHINESS... That's a word, right?_

* * *

A large smile was plastered on my face, my hand grasping the stretchy plastic handle of the bag, almost overflowing with different chocolate bars, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, and Mounds. I absolutely _adore_ Mounds. I bought four packets of the stuff I love them so much. _But my wallet took a massive blow. And here I thought I was out of cash._

I slipped into the drivers seat and gingerly placed the goods into the passenger seat. Annie would kill me a thousand times over if she found out I did anything to harm her precious Sour Patch Kids. _How she can like those sour-death things of jelly is beyond me._ Miss Rosette didn't really care all that much about sweets, always insisting we should eat better, but if you placed a candy bar consisting of chocolate in front of her, _you_ _better say say_ _onara._

I snagged one of the Mounds bar from the bottom of the bag and ripped it open, quickly biting into the perfect dark chocolate-coconut concoction of heavenliness. I hummed in content, relaxing into the stiff fabric seat.

After I finished devouring the first treat -I wisely decided not to eat another one, in fear of being too full to eat the soon-to-be-done pizza- I glanced at the time. _Still got 17 minutes, really? Well shit. What am I going to do with all that time?_

I glanced at the mirror, the lights reflecting off the little extension twisting and shifting. A police car drove past slowly, and I'm not sure whether or not my eyes were messing with me, but I _did not_ see anyone driving it. _It must be my eyes_ _fucking with me_ _. No way can a car drive itself._ I hadn't paid any attention to it before, but this must've been _at least_ the fifth time it's driven by the pizza place. _Doing rounds maybe? I dunno man._ _There's no reason to check on a fucking PIZZA PLACE five. Fucking. Times._ I drew a deep breath and sighed louder than necessary, my eyes sliding shut.

"Wow. I'm so bored I'm worrying over a haunted, paranoid cop car. Heh heh..." I pressed into the seat and laid my arm across my shut eyes carelessly. I felt completely drained, as if all the energy in my body had been _shwoop,_ stolen right before my eyes. I would be lying if I said it didn't happen from every now to then. They were kinda like... moments of fatigue. When you're just so tired all you wanna do is lay there and hope to fall asleep. I hadn't had one in... well, a while. The last one I could recall first was four days before my birthday. It was worse than average, but not unusual. The best way to put it was not only had I woken up on the wrong side of the bed, but on the wrong side of town. I didn't want to move, I didn't even feel like putting in the effort to _breathe._ I remember just feeling _numb,_ staring at the blank white ceiling but not really seeing the pale surface. I was lost _, trapped, caged_ , in my own empty thoughts. I barely acknowledged the forceful and violent shaking from a panic-stricken Annie, who had tears streaming down her cheeks, screaming for Miss Rosette to come help. I remembered sitting up like a robot, eyes glassy, Annie hugging me so tight she could've cut off oxygen to my brain if she wanted to, Miss Rosette's concern as I did my normal routine without any emotion or care, no special retorts, no small smirks, no gasping laughs. I was just like a robot. And I hated every moment of it.

I tried my best to fight against it, the hopelessness that would take me over and run me like a program, but sometimes the defenses would collapse without a moments notice. Some cases were worse than others, the case I was having currently very moderate compared to the one above.

According to Miss Rosette -if the case was ever really bad- at the end of the day, I would wander off to the _same_ edge of town and do god knows what. I didn't ever recall any of it happening. Miss Rosette claimed that my reasoning for this these outlandish actions was: "It's really pretty out here, the stars are really bright without the lights, calming too." I could just picture the dopiest expression written on my face at that. A small snicker erupted from my lips. _Come to think of it..._

I could probably use a little calm right about now.

Yeah, that sounds real nice.

* * *

It didn't really matter which outskirts of town I drove to, it felt nice to be away and free from the what now seem to recognize itself as suffocation. I laid on the still-warm hood of the small Mazda, my back stiff against the hard windshield, but it was comfortable nonetheless. _My back is gonna be in some serious fucking pain tomorrow._ _I'm gonna regret this, and I'm sure as hell on that._

The car was a little ways off the side of the two-laned road, which was so barren it seemed as if it hadn't been driven on in years. The scene surrounding was dark, but from what I could see, it was an open plain with a few outcroppings scattered here and there. But that wasn't what I was admiring. The clear dark navy expanse above with tiny twinkling lights imbedded into it was a sight to behold. _And_ _I daresay_ _even_ _rival Ian's eyes._

 _D_ _id... did I actually just think that? Did I REALLY just_ _fucking_ _think that?!_

Nope. NOPE. NOPE THE SHIT OUT OF THAT!

I groaned and rubbed the palms of my into my eyes. I don't need that assbag on my mind _at all._ I don't know why, but at some of the most random and most _unfortunate_ times he would just somehow poof his way to the forefront of my mind. I really didn't wanna know why. I dropped my hands unceremoniously onto the hood, a sharp _thud_ resulting from the sudden connection. A small pain made its debut before quickly fading away.

"Owww," I moaned into the thick veil of... err... I sighed in pride-bruising defeat. I suck at trying to make something sound good. I've done well enough so far. _I wonder what Ian would say to that. Somethin' cheeky and no doubt douchy as fuck._ A tugging warmed its way into my chest, my cheeks almost immediately matched the hue of a tomato. _D_ _amnit, WHY?!_

I abruptly sat up, flailing my arms around like a madman, fingers clawing at the empty air in a vain attempt to _just get the asshole out of my head._

The sight beside me did a mighty fine job at it.

Aaand I almost fell off the hood from surprise, a hands slipping off the steel-like surface. I quickly recovered and sat up straight, my heart nearly beating out of my ribcage from the scare. _Don't you fucking tell ANYONE!_

The cop car slowly drove up beside the off-roaded - _that's a word, too, right?-_ Mazda, coming as close as possible without leaving the designated paved path before stopping. _Did... did this cop follow me all the way out here?! Are you shitting me? What IS IT with people and liking to follow me?! I'M FUCKING SICK OF IT!_ I barely managed to keep the little temper tantrum under reigns and avoid showing any sign of it in my actions, not wanting to give this cop any reason to be "concerned" just because of mental spat that didn't want to stay mental. I gave a strained smile, the corner of my lips lifting. I slid off the car hood as gracefully as I could ever conduct purposefully. I internally rolled my eyes. _Not looking like a drunk underage or someone on their high horse in front of police officer sounds like a great plan._

Walking up to the driver's side door, I fully expected one of those cliché moments where the cop would roll down their window and then tilt the Aviator glasses - _even if it IS night, cops in this town, I swear-_ peer over them and then say something smooth.

What I got was not that.

Not even close to that.

 _But the window did roll down._

FINE! Closer than I _originally_ thought.

Now was not the time to debate over technicalities, _you idiot_!

At the sight of the tiny stick thin _robot_ hanging on the steering wheel _,_ who may or may not have been been pointing a - _hold up,_ _is that a fucking pee-wee shuriken?!_ _rude-_ I booked it faster than Speedy Gonzales on a good day back to the car. _But not without screaming like a five year-old a phrase a five year-old should not scream._

"HOLY _SHIT!_ "

I practically swan dived into the driver's seat and scrambled to turn the keys, the items already in the ignition. _Thank_ _mercy_ _I left them in._ I turned the keys with a quick _flick_ , released the parking brake by smashing the butt of my palm against the release, the lever dropping down, and shot my left hand to the shift, my right hand preoccupied by the steering wheel. I did this all within the speedy time of two seconds. I sped forward and away from the police car as fast as the little white car could go, the little needle on the display rising fast.

I had to get back to town. Had to get back to people - _never thought I would say that-_ I had to get back to safety. Safety in numbers. Safety in numbers. Maybe it would leave me alone. It wouldn't want to cause a scene, would it? Yeah, yeah of course. I had to get back to town. I had to turn around.

My heart was pounding hard behind my ribcage, the thrumming so loud all other noise was drowned out.

But when I turned to head back...

My heart stopped dead.

It was no longer a police cruiser upon the empty road. It was a fucking fifteen foot humanoid robot, with a gun-like shape in place of a hand. _Pointed at me._ I swerved off the road and onto the sand-covered face of the desert, the dust flying up behind. I prayed to heaven above that would give me a little time to get closer to town. _To safety._

 _Please, let me live._

I was back on the asphalt when the dust cleared. I glanced at the small mirror appendage from the corner of my eye. That _thing_ was the police cruiser again and it was gaining faster than I liked, sirens blaring and screeching, while bright alternating colors of blue and red nearly blinded me. _Wutdafuck wutdafuck wutdafuck wutdafuck wutdafuck._

It all just seemed like a bad dream that I would wake up any minute from. Just another one of those hyper-realistic nightmares that would freak the fuck outta you. Fifteen foot death robots? That change into cars? It just couldn't be real. There was no fucking way. None. Nada. But this all lacked that dream-daze-feeling that made you realize at the back of your mind it _was_ a dream. That little reminder that _reality_ was just eight seconds away from your grasp. That indescribable notion that made you remember that those peaceful illusions are just that: illusions.

 _P_ _lease_ _, let it all be just another illusion._

But the unanticipated swing of the vehicle jarring to a stop, the close sound of glass shattering on impact with something, the sharp pain that set my nerves aflame with agony, the ache that broke and fractured my bones on contact with the rough stone of the pavement, and the fear that left me so terrified and paralyzed...

 _Was an unfortunate reminder that this was all **very real.**_

The ground trembled violently beneath my fingertips, shaking me out of the frozen stupor. I didn't dare look behind me. Whatever this _thing_ was, it very much wanted end my existence. _Why_? I couldn't begin to imagine the reasons. The pain was excruciating beyond tangible words. My head felt like it was pierced with with a steel rod and smashed against a brick wall. My arms stung and grieved in anguish with every movement. And my legs... The undisputed _hurt_ that came from right leg was mind-numbing it was so horrible. _But there is no fucking way I'm gonna go out doin' nothing._

With all the willpower I possessed, my right arm slugged its way into the front of my vision, which was blurring and slowly blacking out, the darkness around the rims closing in at a snail's pace. The quaking was nearing, but taking its sweet time as if savoring all the torment I was in. _That is sick._ I dragged my left arm up from my side. _Good girl. Now c'mon, you can do it!_ I clenched my eyes shut and pulled myself forward only a couple of centimeters, screaming out in exasperation when I _just_ _couldn't_ anymore. My arms collapsed underneath me, my head smacking against the asphalt. All the sounds were muffled and distorted, all feeling gone and cold. The metallic taste of _blood_ covered my tongue. _Why was everything spinning and... hurting?_

Even with half-lidded eyes, I could still clearly see the comforting orange lights of town not so far away. _So close. It's... so... close..._

Something chilled curled around my form, and even from this trembling state, I could tell that this touch was filled with nothing but pure _malice._ I squirmed in a pitiful attempt of escape, but the grip only tightened. _So... much... for that..._ _useless_ _idea..._

A dark, sonorous, borderline raspy chuckle overwhelmed my ears. I cringed at the sound of it, my arms shaking violently. I squeezed my eyes closed, the world beginning to spin rapidly once again, my stomach about to purge whatever was left in it. Something warm trailed down my cheeks and the taste of salt making me cringe once more. _Was I... crying?_

I opened up my watering eyes and was met with a set glowing rubies. _I-_ _I_ _can't breathe. Why... can't I_ _b-_ _breathe?!_ Metal parts stuck and twisted together to make what could be barely called a face. _Heh... I'm about to die... and I'm still more funny than Annie._ A small smile made its way onto my lips.I felt the tight grip around me squeeze harder, something cracking in my midsection beneath the force. A new pain blossomed in my ribs, my insides set on fire then dumped in ice cold water. Every short, dreaded breath causing the pain to flare up anew. I ground my teeth and growled against the stinging. I wasn't gonna let this _thing_ have its enjoyment that easily. _If..._ _if_ _I'm... g-gonna go out... I'm gonna go out w-with... my pride s-still... intact._ I lifted my head and glared at the thing, coming up with the best mischievous smirk I could manage despite all the blood and tears covering my face. I took a deep breath, the action burning my lungs...

 _And did the most stupid thing I could ever be proud of._

"Y-you're supposed t-to _ride_ the bus, n-not get hit in the f-face by it," I sneered. I couldn't keep my head up much longer, too tired to support it anymore, and lowered it, dark hair meshed with crimson framing my line of sight. I still had a small smirk over my bloodied lips. _Hot damn... better... p-put some ice... on that... one..._

A low rumble of distaste shook the tense air. Out of the corner of my vision, a sharp claw rose.

" _Pathetic insect."_

The pointed appendage was plunged into my chest.

My vision faded into nothingness.

* * *

...

...

..

.

* * *

A loud feminine voice broke the sweet blissful slumber I had been in, the world still cloudy and foggy. I brought my legs up to my chest and hugged them close, pulling the deflated pillow over my head in a vain hope of block out the intrusion of my sleep. Something, however, quickly ripped the pillow off and away, a soft _thump_ resulting soon later. _Nooo... I don't wanna wake uuuuup._

"I said: Get up, it's time for school. I don't need the teachers on my tail because your late." I groaned and pulled the not-so-fluffy covers over my head in retaliation. _Let's see how far she'll go._

A quiet sigh was heard. _Oh_ _shit._ I tightened my grip on the covers to my knuckles went white. _There is no way I'm gonna win this one._

The comforter was torn from my grip and flung onto the other side of the room. The next thing I know is I was being attacked by an assault of tickles. I cried out in surrender.

"Okay, okay! I'm awake! _Jeez."_ The woman held a smile of victory on her face, black hair tied up in a neat bun, eyes alight.

"Breakfast is downstairs, so I suggest you get some before your brother eats it all," she insisted before walking out of the room pridefully. I sighed and stood up, walking away from the warmth of my bed and over to the dresser in the corner of the room.

"Yes Mom."

* * *

 **Whaaaaaaaat?! What the heck is goin' on here?! But holy crap, did it take a while to write. Sorry if there's any mistakes, I tried to catch them all (lol GOTTA CATCH THE ALLLL) but sometimes there's a few slippery ones.**

 **HAPPY EARLY EASTER! Unless you're read this on Easter... THAN HAPPY EASTER! For those of you who don't celebrate Easter: HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!**

 _ **I would like to thank...**_

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic, Bee4ever, ShiftFrame,**_ **and** _ **zRedgrave**_ **FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **Looks like Barricade did quite the number** **on Beth, huh? Boy, somebody is gonna get maaaaad.**

 _ **Bee4ever:**_ **Thank you and I'm glad your feeling better! Hope you recover soon... unless you already have... then WOOHOO YEAH!**

 _ **ShiftFrame:**_ **I couldn't agree with you more XD**

 _ **zRedgrave: ***_ **Accepts hugs and munches on chocolates* I LOVE DER HUGS AND DER CHOCOLATES! XD I think you can guess what happened here.** **Sorry to disappoint... or did I?** **;-; Hehe. I'm glad to see this story bringing laughs, but I don't think this chapter brought** _ **that**_ **many. But it was a cheesy -ahem- it was a candy sweet chapter, am I right?**

 **So what do you guys _think_ happened? I'd like to see your theories! It's soo fun to hear from you guys. _Make that a million and one._ Shut up Beth, it's my turn. _And now your turn is over._ Oh, right. Well, not entirely! See: I'll see ya guys in the next chapter!**

 _~Adamas out_


	11. Chapter 11

**Wazzup guys! Welcome back! Sorry for the huuuuge time gap. Writer's block not only socked me in the stomach, but tossed me into a MMA ring, too. AH, FORGET 'BOUT THAT. I'VE GOT ANOTHER THING TO ADDRESS, BECAUSE 7,000+ VEIWS IS A HARD THING TO IGNORE. 7,000+. HOLY CRAP GUYS. THANK YOU! THANK ALL OF YOU! Okay, calming down. But seriously, this story started crappier than a porta-potty. But you guys stuck with me and gave it a chance. It means _so_ _much_ to me. **

**Ah, well, enough of the mushy stuff. LET'S GET ON WITH IT, SHALL WE?! ( And don't worry about the setup change. There's a reason for it ;)**

* * *

Chapter 11

 _I'm No Longer Me_

* * *

Let's return back to November 2007, shall we?

* * *

In the previous chapter...

 _The comforter was torn from my grip and flung onto the other side of the room. The next thing I know is I was being attacked by an assault of tickles. I cried out in surrender._

 _"Okay, okay! I'm awake!_ _ _Jeez."__ _The woman held a smile of victory on her face, black hair tied up in a neat bun, eyes alight._

 _"Breakfast is downstairs, so I suggest you get some before your brother eats it all," she insisted before walking out of the room pridefully. I sighed and stood up, walking away from the warmth of my bed and over to the dresser in the corner of the room._

 _"Yes Mom."_

* * *

I should have known better. I should have known that it was only a temporary escape, a sweet moment of bliss that would slip through my fingers like every other morning. I should have been able to recognize a fantasy when I found one.

Because they were always to good to be true.

 _Not to mention a little odd._

A low, grated groan worked its way from the back of my throat. Despite all the repeated false hopes that had me fooled, the disappointment was always like a punch to the gut after it had finished toying with me. The hope that bubbled excitedly in my chest was torturous, like an old wound torn open once more, never allowed the chance to heal. But even if it were, an angry scar would still be a horrible, unrelenting reminder of what terrors the past didn't want you to forget. It was a vicious cycle, and one that I couldn't wait to finally end. _In conclusion: dreams suck._

 _T_ _hat's-_ _that's_ _an_ _odd thing for me to say._

A mental shrug. _Eh,_ _doesn't matter_ _... that's an odd thing for me_ _say,_ _too._

The routinely sounds of ruffled fabrics was one of the more welcomed reminder that reality just-so-happened to chuck at my face.

"C'mon, Cathy!" a faceless voice whined, "It's my turn now! You wore it last week, so now it's my turn!" _I_ _t's a Thursday._ _Wonderful._ Another high pitched whine only reassured my dreaded conclusion. _Is it really that impossible to go_ one week _without having this idiotic argument?_

"Your memory really sucks, Carol. _You_ were the one who wore it last week, remember? And if you really like it that much, just go buy your own," 'Cathy' droned, obviously frustrated with the other complaining girl. I honestly couldn't fault her for it though, dealing with Carol as calmly as she been accomplishing so far was a feat within itself. The insults, however, were unnecessary. But at least it wasn't as bad as three weeks ago. The memory of weak flying fists flashed behind my shut eyes. _A replay of that stupid squabble was the last thing I needed._

An exasperated sigh of finality reached my aching ears. "Oi, Lucy," Cathy called halfheartedly, completely finished with this predicament and ready to throw someone else into the crossfire,"Can you _oh-so-_ _kindly_ solve this unfortunate lapse of memory for our dear friend here?" _No. I'm still asleep. Leave me be._

To prove my point, I rolled over to my side and faced the dull surface of the wall.

"Wait, what?" Carol cried confusedly, "No. I. Did. Not, you big fat liar. You're just saying because you wanna wear the shirt today." The amount of pride in her voice was sickening, as if she knew something nobody else did. The probability of that was slim to none. _If anything, it's in the negatives._ "Yeah, I know all about you're little secret ren-des-vos with Garett tonight." _Ren-des-vos...?_

"Rendezvous, you idiot. Rendezvous. And where have you been for the past month? Garett is my _friend._ He wants my advice on how to ask Darel out, and wants to go gift shopping so he can buy something for my girlfriend," Cathy slowly explained, trying to dumb down the words so the younger could understand. She was, however, unable to keep the irritation from lacing thickly through her words. "There is no romance between the two of us. Strictly platonic. So shut up and give me the shirt," she practically growled at the end. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to see the look on Carol's face right now. I rolled back over and faced the center of the room, observing the upset brunette and the nonchalant posture of the blonde. Carol seemed to be clutching the object of the arguments origin within her death grip while Cathy leaned against against the wall upon her bed, her attractive features shadowed by the cover of the top bunk. The death stare that Carol was sending the thin blonde was nothing compared to the _absolutely done_ glare Cathy shot back in defiance.

Carol caught the slow, slugged movements of my barely conscious form and was quick to look at me for support. _Never would I comply. Unless you paid._

"Luuuucyyyy," she dragged, slumping her shoulders like a spoiled brat, "Tell Cathy it's my turn! It's my turn! My. _Turn_ _,_ " she hissed repeatedly. The short brunette was practically seething by now, but thankfully, I was immune to these sort of 'attacks' and knew exactly how to avoid them. _How to end them, though? I wouldn't ever bother to waste my time with such a useless pastime._ But before I could interject with a _peaceful, well-thought out_ comment, Cathy was quick to retaliate. _She's only going to make this worse._

"Carol, what did I just say?!" Now she's yelling. _Outstanding._ "God, why couldn't I be a size larger than you? This is so effing stupid. Get over your stupid attachment to a piece o' fabric and grow a brain." Now she's flown off the handle. If anyone could cause the cool-headed blonde to flip out, it would be Carol. _I'm convinced she was genetically engineered specifically for this._ Cathy was now sitting on the edge of her bed, hands clawing into the cheap polyester throw blanket.

A new voice echo off the damaged and aged walls of the stairway below, thankfully ending the unwanted situation before us.

"Girls," a melodious voice called, the sound like church bells ringing on the Queen of England's wedding day. _I swear, it rivals M_ _organ Freeman's._

That... that doesn't sound like me at all.

Meh.

That sounded nothing like me, either.

"Come down for breakfast! We have a lot of chores today!" All the eyes in the room widened, even those belonging to those who wisely stayed out of the controversy going down before us. Chore day was a favorite among us, mostly because it was the one day we didn't have to do school. _Most would protest and say we're lying, but believe it or not, it's true._

There were actually many more girls within the room -six more to be exact. Even with a large group of nine girls, it didn't seem that large after a while. It was as if we were... a bunch of people tossed together and told they've known each other forever. We hate to love each other but we just can't help it. _Most of them hate me for not remembering their names. I can't do it even if my life was on the line. Even after several years, I still can't recall some of their names on sight._

Being in a girls group home was rather enjoyable -a lot better than what cliché TV shows and movies sell you. You didn't get tossed around from rude, careless parent to rude, careless parent. Our caretaker -she liked us to call her 'Missy'- was rather the lovely woman, and extremely sweet- borderline sugar-cube-sweet. And when I say that, the bowl of cookies on the counter below is not in mind.

At the thought of the sugary treats on the bottom floor, I finally gathered the strength to stand and waddled over to the dresser. I slid open the drawer with the shining, sparkling, sticker letters arranged in a crude formation of 'LUCY.' All the girls got their own drawer, for... organization's sake. And being the oldest out of all them, it was only sensible that I got the top drawer. Never did our caretaker predict I wouldn't grow any higher than four foot eleven. _I'm sick of hearing all the five foot three girls complain about being short. They should consider themselves fortunate._

I snagged a navy hoodie from within the cluster of clothing alongside a pair of holed skinny jeans, and quickly threw them on over my white tank top. The group home didn't have that much of a budget, but we made do with what we had. We had a roof over our heads, clothes, food, and water. We couldn't ask for anything better.

I stood in front of the dirtied surface of the mirror, observing my form to make sure it was adequate enough. And like every other day, it was.

Long, straight black hair fell far past my shoulders, an almost invisible wave hidden amongst the inky tresses. Dark, equally straight, clean-cut bangs shadowed my wide-set, large teardrop eyes. They seemed to stare back with an untouched knowledge and unrecognized joy. But we all know that's just a bunch of cheesy writer crap. _There it is again. That sounds nothing like something I would say._ A small smile pulled at the corner of my pale lips. _Maybe I'm just losing my mind. But who's to say I already haven't?_

Tearing my thoughts away from the reflection upon the mirrors dulled shine, I trodded over to the stairs- they led directly down to the bottom floor- and my sense of smell was bombarded with the scent of bacon. _It's going to be a wonderful day today._

* * *

…

* * *

 _No. NO. Oh nononono!_

 _It isn't supposed to be this way!_

* * *

Horror. Desperation. Sadness. Anger...

 _Rage._

* * *

 _3 Months Later..._

* * *

The rhythmic beeps of the medical device was like background noise, the sound so familiar it fell upon deaf ears.

A regular size hospital bed laid beside a window, the classic hospital machines placed to the left of it. Wires poked and crawled out of every crevice possible, winding their way onto the bed. Some disappeared under the scratchy covers while others were attached to the person occupying the bed, the snaking wires thrumming with life. _But it's wrong._

Dim, chocolate hair was splayed out underneath the young girl's head, her face a sickly pale with hollow cheeks. Gloomy bags rimmed below her shut eyes, feigning the look of peaceful sleep.

A dark feeling crawled up my spine.

 _No, not now._

My strained grip on the white and yellow wildflowers loosened ever-so-slightly.

I limped over to the side of the bed, my eyes solemnly hovering over the girl for a second before turning to the cheap lilac vase on the nightstand. Frail and wilted flowers hung their heads hopelessly. Switching hands, I lifted the dead plants out and tossed them into the garbage, placing the fresh flowers in their place. Out of the corner of my eye, I peeked at the dozing girl. _I know that face._

With a deep sigh, I carelessly plopped into the seat. _Convenient placement._

"Well Carol, I finally got accepted at the new job," I said, staring at the floor, the freckled tiles becoming _extremely interesting,_ "You'd like it. I work retail at your favorite clothing store. I make much more than before, but double-time really takes a toll on a person," a dry chuckle, "I suppose it's by chance I work at a cafe, too, huh?" I glanced back up at the girl, grasping onto the hope that I would somehow get a response, an answer, _anything._ But like every other day, there was none. I dropped my head and exhaled.

Three months ago, Mission City suffered a 'terrorist' attack. There were multiple causalities and many losses. The city was bombed by hallucinogenic gases, somehow modified to cause everyone to see the same exact thing, and when everyone was in a craze over the things they were seeing, the city was blasted to kingdom come. The group home included. The only survivors among the rubble were Carol and me, but not without injury.

Carol had suffered a severe concussion, and because medical attention didn't arrive soon enough, she fell into a coma. Other than that, she only had a small amount of cuts and bruises. I, however, didn't come out so unscathed.

I glanced back down, focusing on the tight clad skinny jeans around my right leg...

 _Or at least were my right leg was._

A large pile of cement had fallen on my leg and effectively trapped me there, and the only way to get me out in time was to amputate on sight. They tried to sift through the debris, but were unsuccessful. Or that was what I was told. Passing out only a few seconds after Carol had, I thankfully didn't have to suffer through the operation. Waking up in a hospital without any knowledge of how or why I was there was rather startling. Discovering the lack of feeling in my right leg only seem to solidify the fact that it was not going to be a good day.

 _Or that things would ever be the same again._

Never would I realize how deep of a hole I was going to be dragged into. I didn't think it could get any worse. Three fourths of my leg gone, my only remaining family trapped in a seemingly unending sleep. It just couldn't seem to get any worse. But there was even more that I was just to blind too see.

If I had only recognized the signs while I could have.

But I didn't... and come to think of it...

Maybe it wasn't all that bad to miss them.

I sighed one last time and stood, grasping tightly onto the armrest for support. I took one last glimpse at the dozing twelve year old, mentally telling myself she's just asleep, she'll wake up soon. Yet that was hopeful thinking, and if I learned anything over the past months, hope was just another lie to keep you walking forward without complaint.

 _So what keeps me walking forward now?_

I slumped my shoulders forward and stuffed my hands into my pockets, striding and struggling out of the room. One word was clear behind my eyes, one word that made would control me with reckless abandon just so I could achieve it. The one thing that kept me walking forward without hesitation.

 _Revenge._

* * *

It was easy to tell that the psychiatrist was beyond frustrated. And it really didn't take a genius to figure out why. After enduring weekly appointments for the past few months, the doctor finally cracked. It was painfully obvious that they were upset with the progress- or lack of progress, to be precise. The only thing they could gather was "notable changes in behavior."

Whatever that means.

Ever since I was discharged from the hospital, I was assigned to said psychiatrist to help recover from -not only- the trauma of losing a limb, but surviving an attack as well. I figure they thought I would open up and just simply pour out all the madness and anxiety that supposedly plagued my thoughts. Personally, I thought it was all just a waste of precious time. For both of us. Especially when someone who really needed it wasn't getting the time they did need.

It took all my strength to withstand an agitated groan just thinking about every time the psychiatrist went a calm-not-calm rant about how it was "all in the best interest of my health." _And not at all about your paycheck._

I rolled my eyes as I turned down another street. The rebuilding of the city was coming along faster than one would have thought, but at the expanse of everyone's money. _Money, money, money. The world revolves around money._

Shifting the backpack's weight onto the other shoulder, I took a mental note of the lack of lighting down the sidewalk. _The lamp-posts must still be out._ While the darkness of the street wasn't exactly welcoming, the destination at the end of it was even worse.

I could see the dim lights of a shop not to far at the end of the block, the warmth of the light shifting inside as if it was a flame only made a bell ring at the back of my mind. And not a pleasant one. _They're fighting again._ _Outstanding_ _._ The paces of my steps slowed to keep the angry screams and sneering insults at bay for a little longer. _Perhaps_ _if I took a detour..._

At that thought, an even darker alleyway appeared at my side.

 _Score._

I was perfectly aware of how dangerous walking down a dark alley was, which made it reasonable to be currently wielding a pocket knife. The cool blade was loose in my grip, my fingers leisurely curled around the cheap plastic hilt. It wasn't unusual for me to take a back alley way with a lot of the main streets closed for construction, but every time I turned down a dim lane, my heart couldn't help but pick up a few beats every single time.

My eyes darted to every visible corner, to every non-exsistant movement that my mind created as I slowly treaded down the dark alley. The feeble lights peeking through apartment shades were the only thing saving me from falling. It was all the usual routine. But when my hands started to shake, nervousness felt the need to make itself eminent. I tossed the paranoia to the back of my mind, knowing that the fear was only going to throw me off guard. It became pretty hard to ignore when the shaking grew so violent the blade began to rattle loudly. I halted in my steps.

 _Calm down, Lucy. You've done this more times than you can count. There's no reason to get scared now. There's no reason to get scared now._

I repeated the words over and over again, but it only got worse. My chest began to rise and fall faster and deeper, the shaking in my hands finally causing the knife to clatter against the pavement. Vicious shudders ran up through my body, my knee becoming too numb to hold my weight. I collapsed onto the ground beside the knife, the sound of gasping and wheezing breaths the only sound in the veil of the darkness.

I was too drained to think, only pure and instinctive emotions able to persist. I could feel my heart hammer against my rib cage as panic set in. _What was happening?!_

 _Somebody help me!_

I clawed at the broken stone desperately, trying to to pull my self closer to a nearby trashcan. Everything ached and groaned with every little shudder, even the thought of of moving causing sharp pangs to shoot through my nerves. Huffing and wheezing through the mind-numbing pain, I came within reach of an old empty beer bottle. Taking in a deep breath, I held it in as I shot a hand out. The faint feeling of the cold glass brushed against my finger tips before they dropped abandoned and a loud choke erupted from my throat. My mind barely recognized the faint trembling of my exhausted frame. _I was paralyzed._

I didn't think it could get much worse. I was suffocating to death on the damp stone path, with no clue as to why and no help around to make it stop, and to tired to even perceive the idea of fighting for a chance of making it through to tomorrow. _This is it. This is the end._

 _But it got much, much worse._

In a single moment, every atom of my being was set aflame, convulsions wracking my body as my limbs spasmed out of my control. And to top it all off, a mind splitting migraine, like someone brought a mallet to my skull repeatedly.

It felt as if I was being torn in two. The very fiber of my body felt like it was split and molded back together, like an unstable force. My heart couldn't be able to take this much longer.

A sharp pain in my chest.

My arms fell limp.

I felt my heart stop.

A last, slow, solemn breath.

 _My vision faded into nothingness._

* * *

…

…

 _.._

.

* * *

My body ached and shivered, the cold ground sending chills through my spine.

I groaned as I pushed myself up, rubbing the palm of my hand into the side of my head.

I cautiously slid open my eyes.

 _Where the ever-loving fuck am I?_

* * *

 **WHAAAAA?! DUN-DUN-DUUUUUN! I am sooooo sorry this took so long. I tried my best and had at least 6 different scenarios runnin' through my head during this. I'm also really, reeeeeeally sorry this is a rather short chapter, but unless you wanted to be stuck staring at your screen for 4 hours, this was the best cut off point.**

 **So what do ya guys think? Was it good? Was it bad? Did you expect it or was it a twisty-wisty rollercoaster? Feedback would be wonderful?**

 **So who the heck is this "Lucy" chick, anyway? Any theories about her? It was really, realllllly cool to read your theories 'bout the last chapter. You guys are just soo awesome. HUGS FOR ALL! AND CUPCAKES!**

 _ **I would like to thank...**_

 _ **zRedgrave, BIackrose13, CarsCars2Fanatic, Bee4ever, Guest, ThePegasusDevice (x2), MisstyxTB (x8),**_ **and** ** _Sevvus_ FOR REVIEWING! It's just so fun to listen to you!**

 _ **zRedgrave:**_ **XD Yeah,** **I think we alll know who is going to be REALLY ticked off. Things are goin' to get realll interesting, isn't it? Hehe. Also: Did I surprise you or did I surprise you? XD Awesome theory, by the way. _Very_ clever. And thanks for the chocolate. It was yummy. Enjoy the sparkly sprinkled cupcakes! **

_**BIackrose13:**_ **Huh, teellll me about it. There are one too many of those stories. So that's why I'm throwin' a** ** _major_ twisty-wisty in. 'Cause trust me, friend: _Beth would rather turn into a Chinchilla before turning into a Cybertronian._ I asked her myself XD**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **Things are getting' chaotic now, huh? And don't worry, we'll get some rage soon. It's gonna be one heck of a read** **AND a laugh XD**

 _ **Bee4ever:**_ **I'm glad to hear you're getting' better! And yeah. I have no clue what happened in this and the last chapter, either. I haz as many confuses as yous!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **XD Oh, that's great. But unfortunately no, she didn't get the pizza. The pizzeria employees ate it. I got some, too. It was really good! Got some left overs!**

 _ **ThePegasusDevice:**_ **That's a really cool theory! And ayyy Supernatural! I love that show XD Sorry, back on track. But does this chapter change your theory? Or are ya stickin' with it? (P.S.** **Love your username, btw. Really awesome ;)**

 _ **MisstyxTB:**_ **I'm not gonna lie, it was hilarious to read your reviews. I laughed at every single one of them. And yeah, this story started off pretty badly, but with what's gonna happen in the plot of this story, it worked out better than I ever could have planned. Basically just rollin' with it XD Here's your update, I hope you enjoyed!**

 _ **Sevvus:**_ **XD Hope this answers any of your questions... or creates more! MUAHA! I'm evil. Sorry this chappy didn't come out earlier, but I hope you liked it!**

 **See ya in the next mind-bending chapter, friends!**

 _~Adamas out_


	12. Chapter 12

**And we're back! Hiya guys! Sorry 'bout all the confusion resulting from the last 2 chaps, but (hopefully) in this chapter, they will be answered. Things are really starting to roll now. But let's get on with it! (Again, there's a reason for the setup change ;) Also, I'm sorry for the long 'previous chapter thing.' Please forgive me ;-;)**

* * *

Chapter 12: _Somethin' Screwy_

* * *

In the previous chapter...

 _It felt as if I was being torn in two. The very fiber of my body felt like it was split and molded back together, like an unstable force. My heart couldn't be able to take this much longer._

 _A sharp pain in my chest._

 _My arms fell limp._

 _I felt my heart stop._

 _A last, slow, solemn breath._

 _ _My vision faded into nothingness.__

…

 _My body ached and shivered, the cold ground sending chills through my spine._

 _I groaned as I pushed myself up, rubbing the palm of my hand into the side of my head._

 _I cautiously slid open my eyes._

 _Where the ever-loving fuck am I?_

* * *

The cheap, plastic seat was as stiff as expected. The dull thrum of the air and the constant malfunctioning whirring of a counter top fan keeping the silence tolerable.

I had been sitting in the same butt-numbing seat for over half an hour, and yet my patience wasn't running thin. My stinging eyes had been staring sightlessly at the linoleum floor, thoughts too scattered and confusing. The world was gone before me, and so must I have been to the world. That or my sanity was currently being questioned by the no-doubt high-off-his-horse man in the corner.

I had tried to tear myself away from the questions, but every attempt at a distraction only led to another question until I was lost in the mind maze once more. _Those_ _have got to be_ _the most weird-ass shoes_ _ever_ _... do I have a pair like that?_ _I want some. No, that's stupid._

I don't remember.

 _This is a really empty police station... have I ever been in a police station for something bad before? Oh god, I hope not. But that would be awesome._

I don't remember.

 _He has a ring on his ring finger,_ _I guess he's in a relationship... am I in a relationship? I wouldn't be surprised, I bet I'm hot as hell..._ _oh who am I kidding?_ _I hardly doubt it; how could anyone possibly love me?_

 _I want to remember..._

Soft padding of boots thankfully split me from the ever-annoying inquires that plagued my newborn, blank-slated thoughts. _Good lord, I'm as blank as an amnesiac._

Wait.

I _am_ an amnesiac. _Fudgin' wonderful..._ Fudgin'? That's an odd expletive replacement. _And why the hell am I using it?_

Oh god, I'm going insane.

"Heya, sweetie. How's it comin' along in here? Pretty boring, am I right?" The police officer hummed, running a hand through their short hair. They lazily dropped their hand back down to their side, the appendage swinging only for a short time afterwards from the momentum. At the lack of an answer on my part, they took a small glance out of their corner of their tired eyes at the high-man in the corner... who was now rocking back and forth singing an obscure tune under his breath. _Get well soon, high-man, get well soon._

The officer turned back to me, leaning close to my face in a dramatic style; a hand supposedly enough of a wall to prevent the other presence from hearing. _Like a middle-schooler gossiping_ _at lunch_ _, good lord._

"He didn't cause any problems, did he? 'Cause I could take care of 'im, if ya begin to feel a little uncomfortable," they whispered, switching their gaze between me and the high-man at an abnormally fast pace. _You need to chill, my friend._

I shook my head "no." The officer stood straight, looking to both of their sides as if they were looking for anyone else who might snitch on them for something they shouldn't be doing. I felt the hair on my arms stand on end and my heart pick up a beat. I could feel my skin become cold and sweat begin to form on my forehead, pinning my awkward bangs against my skin. When the officer sat down beside me with an enthusiastic plop, I let out a silent breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. _I'm the one who needs to chill a bit. That was completely and utterly irrational. Everything is fine._

Everything will be okay.

"Not much of a talker, ay? It's okay. Everyone has their reasons. Plus the silence is nice after a long day." _God bless this person. But sorry to rain your parade._

"On the contrary. I just didn't have anything to say at the moment." I droned with a blank stare boring into the opposite wall. I saw a small smile tug at the officer's lips at the rather emotionless comment. _I sound like an android._

"She's got a sense of humor. Good to know. Makes things a little less tense on me." The officer remarked, scratching the back of their head before yawning loudly. They lifted their watch and inspected the time, lowering it back down after it's purpose had been served.

"Ahh, still got 'bout an hour till ma shift is over. At least I've got some company this time. But I still got ask you some questions. Classic. Nothing too invasive. That okay?" They seemed rather easy and kind about approaching the situation. Not to mention calm, like they had rehearsed the whole thing over a thousand times. _They seem good enough. Nothing too suspicious or creepy._

"Yeah, go ham." The same droned, hollow voice. _Am I okay?_

"So where are your parents?"

"Don't know." _Why do I sound so empty?_

"Don't know?"

"Don't remember."

Silence.

"Oh."

 _Yeah. Don't know how to approach this situation anymore, do you?_

More silence. They looked down at the cold floor with an unreadable expression. It looked almost... haunting.

"Did... did you leave them or did they...?"

"I don't remember."

"Do you... remember anything?" They turned their head to face me eye to eye, but I was too busy still staring down the wall. The pale crème surface became too dull to stand so I redirected my stare toward the officer and noticed the scratched gold name plate. _"Officer Bridger."_

I turned my eyes away towards the wall again. _It was easier to take in._

" _No."_

Even more silence.

"Not even a name?"

A small chuckle fell over my chapped lips, a cold sense of humor finally bringing out some semblance of emotion.

"Nope."

A low hum was warmly welcomed compared to the ever-present quietness.

"Well then, I can't keep just callin' ya 'sweetheart' now, can I?" Officer Bridger slapped their hands against their legs with definite finality and proceeded to stand up. I never expected my "WTF" feeling to be the second I experienced, _but hey, we're making progress._ Apparently the officer hadn't seen my odd expression, because they then proceeded to walk in front of me, kneel upon one knee 'shining knight' style, bow their head and say the nerdiest thing to ever nerd:

"Will you bestow the honor of naming thee upon of this humble servant before you now?" Holy _fuck. That is chivalry right there, folks. Bring out the note pads and start taking some goddamn notes._ And thank mercy I'm a slight nerd myself... wait...

 _I am?_

I quickly forgot about the new pestering mosquito of a question and felt my pride inflate tenfold. With a lift of the chin, a raising of the shoulders, and the best response possible on the tip of my tongue; I felt like one hell of a badass monarch.

"I grant thy servant thy honor. But chose wisely, for if it is a dissatisfaction, punishment shall _not_ be swift."

We stared at each other with blank faces unmoving, eyes locked in a silent staring contest. Or a try not laugh challenge. _Take your pick._ But it was becoming to much to bare, my eyes beginning to sting with tears and their lips pursed in a -rather pitiful- attempt to stop from smiling.

Loud laughter soon rang throughout the room.

I clutched my stomach, bending over with tears streaming down my cheeks- which were starting hurt from how hard I was smiling. The salty drops slipped past my lips and onto my tongue, the taste somehow; in someway, felt like like deja-vu. The ache in my gut from all the laughing felt relieving, unrecognized stress billowing away unseen, only to drag a heavy feeling into it's place. It felt like a knock to my chest; the air stolen from my lungs. Unreigned hysterics sobered back up, and I swear I felt a crack appear in my heart as if rejected and forgotten old pavement.

The expression of unemotional washed back into place, a rush of it just _fitting._

And I finally started asking the right questions.

 _Who am I?_

A fitzed-out sound erupted from Officer Bridger's side; their laughter dying down as they plucked a -rather low-tech- walkie-talkie. With a click of a button; loud, undistinguished mumblings and static filled outpourings filled the quiet room. I couldn't understand a single word. Or number. _There were definitely some numbers in there._ But seriously, _talk about a rude interruption._ Or a subject change. _Damn, I'm indecisive._

Officer Bridger took a deep breath and sighed.

"Sorry, kiddo. Name pickin' is going to hafta wait. Got a missin' persons report to check out. When I get back, I'll take you to the hospital to get ya checked out," they dejected quietly before turning to go out, leaving the place filled to the brim with a tense silence. But as they took the first step, they paused, turning their head just enough to peer out of the corner of their eye. _Why won't they look me in the eye?_

"Do me a favor and make sure they don't cause any trouble, 'kay?" They pointed at the high-man with a thumb, "I'll see ya later." And proceeded to walk out the building. _Someone has a dramatic flair to them. At least they're not a boring, donut-eating, desk-and-paper-work person._

…

Well, this is quite the formidable silence.

 _I'm bored._

I slowly took in the empty walls and empty seats for what felt like the ninety-ninth time. A couple of lights flickered above from overuse and neglect. I turned my tired eyes over to the black box nestled in the upper corner of the room. _I highly doubt they would have any cartoons on at-_ I quickly glanced at the clock on the other side of the room- _8:32._ Well, maybe. _No, that's stupid, cartoons are for kids. Fuck it, then consider me a child._

Shit, I am one sassy motherfucker, even when debating against myself. _But is is the swearing necessary?_ Damn right, it is. _Ugh, I can't even escape my own thoughts._

I shook my head, clearing away my own stupid arguments. It was like two polar-opposite people tearing at each other, only they were locked in the same room. And there was no peace-keeper outside to break things up in case in got too violent. _It was exhausting._

I felt my hands involuntarily clench tighter around the seat, shoulder's taunt and rigid. _Deep breath. In. Annnd out. Good girl. Keep breathing._

I stared at my feet, the swinging movement a calming distraction.

 _Swinging..._

 _B_ _reathing..._

 _Swinging..._

 _Breathing..._

 _S_ _winging..._

I turned my eyes to the clock- _8:45. I can't take this anymore. I want cartoons._

I stood up rapidly, stumbling a bit, then stiffly marching over to the out-dated TV and quickly searched for the power button. With a jump and a quick push, colors immediately flashed over the glass screen. A blonde man appeared on screen with his hands crossed, an image of an empty road with blue and red lights around the edge in the corner beside him. The grim and empty expression was normal and expected. Fwipping to another channel; I stared at the screen expectantly, hoping my luck would turn up and some cartoon would appear. But nope, only commercials. After about ten minutes of scouring through the other extremely limited channels, I sighed in defeat. _News channel it is, then._ _Or maybe I could just turn it off and twiddled my thumbs some more._

A deep, monotone voice had me turn my attention back to the dusty screen.

"-issing person's has recently been reported to the police; who are now beginning the search and investigation for eighteen year-old Be-"

I groaned loudly in exasperation, switching off the magic box with a _gentle_ slam. _Damnit, I don't want to listen to any of that bullshit. It's too sad. I want cartoons, for crying out loud! Is that too much to ask for?!_

A loud roar from outside caught my attention just in time to see a large truck race past the window, followed by a yellow... _Ha_ _l_ _aro?_ _I dunno._ _Pretty car. There. That's good enough._

I walked/stomped/limped back over to my seat- yes, _my_ seat _-_ and sat down like a pouting child, arms crossed and shoulders hunched at an unreasonable angle. _Not to mention I think my butt is hanging off the seat._

With the only thing preoccupying my seemingly _endless_ time, my thoughts began to wander until my first memory played behind my eyes. _Flashback time!_

 _I stumbled into the building half-haphazardly, leaning my weight against the door frame. Heavy breaths wracked my frame, my leg shaking beneath my weight._

 _I couldn't think._

 _I couldn't remember._

 _I tried, good lord, I tried, but it only caused my chest heave faster in panic, my hands shaking quicker in exhaustion. It felt like there were no thoughts to think, and at the same time, it felt like there was too much information to process. It was frustrating and confusing. So many raw conflicting feelings crashing together like a Picasso masterpiece. It was as if I was fighting an unending battle; my leg aching with the plead to be relieved from standing, arms struggling to keep a simple grip on the doorway, and my chest strained with gasping cries._

 _I can't stand. I can't breathe. I can't. I can't._ Let me have peace.

 _I could feel my eyes roll back into my skull as my prayer was answered; the dark room becoming an empty abyss, my nerves going numb as I connected with the cold floor._

 _Time passed without me as I laid asleep, dead to the world around me. After an unknown amount of time, my voice grated against my throat in pain, my eyes attempting to blink away the tiredness that blinded them. The still air tasted stale and used, my tongue parched and dry with the thick smell of dust. Mindlessly, I dragged my arms up from beside me and held my breath, pushing myself off my chest. With a loud gasp, I managed to pull my leg beneath me._

 _I absorbed the room with eyes flashing from side to side. I felt vulnerable and open to the floating dust in the darkness. Like an animal in fear, I scrambled over to the closest corner. My limbs gave out beneath me as I crawled frantically, my rib cage slamming against the concrete floor, stealing what little air I had -temporarily- stolen back._

 _My hands shook violently once more as I clutched them against my chest. I felt something warm slip over my eye and down my cheek._

 _Where am I?_

 _What happened to me?_

 _Why am I running?_

 _Why is my leg gone?_

 _At the fleeing thought of the disappeared appendage, my hands shot down to the fringing edge of my pant leg to check whether or not my limb was truly gone or I had made up the whole thing._

 _Grasping my fingers over the fabric, I yanked it up to my knee._

 _It only took one gleam off the scratched metal and frail plastic to answer my question._

 _A loud cry rang throughout the abandoned structure, the wailing of police cars soon drowning the wretched screaming as they approached._

My eyes focused back onto the same dirtied linoleum floor. I peeked at the pant leg clinging to the... _argh, I can't say it._ I threw my head back in aggravation and groaned loudly. Another question made it's starring appearance.

 _Where will I go from here?_

 _I personally couldn't give a flying fuck at the moment. And to prove it, I will take a nap._ Screw you, reality.

* * *

 **Yeaaaaaah. This chapter probably didn't help all that much, did it. Dang it Adamas, stahp with the confusing stuff. AND I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAAAAAIT! I really hope this chapter was okay. I was just... just everywhere.**

 **For those who don't understand and would like to seek an explanation, just ask and I'll PM you. But it probably be better to wait till after you read the next chappy. And if any guests would like to know, please say. I'll work out something. Don't wanna leave anyone so confuzzled.** **And trust me when I say this (Or don't, your choice. It's probably the better choice anyway), the next chapter is gonna be worth it. There's a lot of explaining in that chapter, too. There's not very much in this chapter, huh? Sorry for that.**

 _ **I would like to thank...**_

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic, bookwriter123456, Bee4ever, MisstyxTB, Guest,**_ **and** ** _zRedgrave_ FOR REVIEWING!**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **Things are actually rather calm this chapter. It's pretty much a filler, but necessary. Slightly informative, but still a filler. I swear, fillers are what I like to call "a necessary evil." Like school!**

 _ **bookwriter123456:**_ **That's... woah. Way to go for thinking outside the box with that theory! Messing with the fabric of reality with that one. I like it. But we're still in the same universe. And I'll give ya a hint with the mom-thing, it's really easy.: D_ _ _ m. Have fuuuuuun~!**

 _ **Bee4ever:**_ **So whadya think happened now? I await you** **r theory. Hehe... SO MANY THEORIES!**

 _ **MisstyxTB:**_ **Ohohoho... :b**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Spoilers (JK): Beths is a dead... or is she? I'm so helpful.**

 _ **zRedgrave:**_ **Hehe... getting' warmer. But wait... revenge is best served cold, isn't it? Oops, looks like I've said too much. Gotta go! Enjoy some nice cake!**

 **See y'all in the next chappy. Boy, it's gonna get freezin' up in this place. Better bring some gloves!**

 _~Adamas out_


	13. Chapter 13

**AHHHHH ALRIGHTY Let's not keep you guys anyyyyyyy longer. I'm scared to death of this chapter and I never want to see it again.**

* * *

Chapter 13: _Forget-Me-Nots_

* * *

In the previous chapter...

 _A loud cry rang throughout the abandoned structure, the wailing of police cars soon drowning the wretched screaming as they approached._

 _My eyes focused back onto the same dirtied linoleum floor. I peeked at the pant leg clinging to the..._ _argh, I can't say it._ _I threw my head back in aggravation and groaned loudly. Another question made it's starring appearance._

 _Where will I go from here?_

 _ _I personally couldn't give a flying fuck at the moment.__ _And to prove it, I will take a nap._ _Screw you, reality._

* * *

"Ohhhhh, whada'bout 'Rebecca?' Eh, eh?" Officer Bridger suggested, very much enthused and spurred on by a new found challenge _._ They were practically bouncing in their seat, the large _device_ that resembled a souped-up laptop shaking with every sudden movement. It scared me half to death every time we hit a pothole, too, the expensive piece of technology nearly falling off its stand. _But forget about that, I got shotgun!_ Because the back has vomit in it, that's why. _Fuck you,_ _l_ _et me enjoy the small victories._

It had taken Officer Bridger a good deal of patience to get my freaked out ass in the car. I'm not going to lie, just the thought of the police car sent heebie-jeebies right up my back.

Speaking of whom, the aforementioned officer hummed as if stuck on a sticky crossword puzzle.

"No no, ya don' look like a Rebecca." A sad, childish pout scrunched up their features, "Well now tha's great, I'm ou'of ideas."

Ever since I had hopped into the cruiser -19 minutes ago, mind you- Officer Bridger had been listing off all the possible candidates for a name. One by one. _With very detailed descriptions._ Thankfully, they would quickly eliminate them if they did not sound fitting enough.

Never did my officer companion ask for my opinion. _Don't know whether I should be thankful or offended._

It wasn't that I had nothing to say about the matter; well... I did have nothing to say, only a lot to think about. A name meant a life, and I wasn't quite sure I had one of those. _Despite my thoughts on the matter;_ _thank_ _the_ _lord for this beautiful, beautiful person._

I turned my stinging eyes to the dark glass, catching a quick glimpse of my reflection in the rear-view mirror. I quickly turned my gaze away. _I'm not exactly ready to..._ don't you dare... _'face' my own reflection just yet._ Bitch, that was horrible _. I know._

I shook my head and withheld a disappointed sigh. The internal debates weren't going to stop anytime soon.

I turned my eyes to the scene beyond the car. The angry glare of bright car lights shone off the tinted windows, tall buildings passing by with all their glorious brick grandeur. The sky was still dark, but the city illuminated the hovering clouds above with a haunting orange. It all felt oddly familiar; homely even, but left a nasty taste layering my tongue. I wanted to spit it out, scratch my nails across it till blood erupted; anything to get it out. _It took all my restraint to not claw at my own tongue like an idiot._ Or a cat with a hair in its mouth. _I would still look like a_ _n_ _idiot._

It made me wonder. Did I once know this city? Call it home? Have a family, even? Good god, the questions could go on forever. However, Officer Bridger's focused exuberance upon the whole naming-business was... well, very thought-provoking. Accepting a new name would be the first step in starting a new life, right? What would I do if I remembered my old life? I felt my arms tense and my spine stiffen. The thought seemed frightening, yet oddly enticing. _Most of people's question revolve around "what if?" While most of mine revolve around what_ was.

God _damn_ , this is more complex than it needs to be.

I don't like it.

I turned my attention back over to Officer Bridger; the officer a well needed distraction from all the suffocating questions, but Officer Bridger had seemed to go silent. A large white building pulled into view, simple red letter's glowing on the walls. The air seem to grow more still than before, the officer's shoulder's tensing up.

Oh. _Oh._

"I don' like hospitals all that much, personally. But I'll do it just for ya, sweetheart," they managed, eyes away and fixated upon the intimidating structure. Their tired eyes had seemed to gloss over, the wrinkles etched deeper and the bags under their glassy orbs became darker. It was beyond obvious that this human had seen _some serious shit._ _I can't begin to imagine._

Turning their thoughts back onto the road, Officer Bridger turned into the hospital's main entrance parking lot. The lot wasn't filled completely, but there was still a considerable amount of cars strewn across the space. There were people with smiles on their faces and phones in their hands, standing in front of the entrance's glass doors. And then there people with empty stares marching stiffly across the lot. Officer Bridger's stare was one of the in-between; a focused empty stare boring holes into the front window, while a small, forced smile stuck upon their lips.

With a sharp turn, Officer Bridger pulled between the white lines. ' _Maybe_ _we'll find some real smiles_ _._ _'_

* * *

Time ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace. The obnoxious squeaking of stretchers and distant monitors beeping were the only boredom-easing relief to be found; other than doggy-paddling through innumerable amounts of questions, that is. _It just doesn't seem to_ _ever_ _end._ Thank goodness Officer Bridger is here or else this would be boring as _shite_ _._

During our time in the waiting room, I had lost a few games of 'rock-paper-scissors' against Officer Bridger. After the boredom started to kick in; a strong sense of deja-vu started. Maybe it had something to do with these... stiff plastic seats. _ _Wait, no__ _._ _ _I don't think it's deja-vu...__ you're right, it's not. It was thrity minutes ago, you idiot. _ _Shut up, douche.__ Not until you do, moron.

 _'_ _ _Oh god, I'm going insane.'__

"Hey, sweetheart, ya there?" I swung my head in search of Officer Bridger, surprised by the sudden interruption. Never had being jerked back into reality been such a relief. They looked confused and concerned, eyes raking up and down my tense form.

I gave a short nod and a one-sided telepathic thanks. There wasn't much I could do to relieve the stress, so I let the tension be.

Officer Bridger sighed and slumped back into the seat, "'Kay, makin' sure ya weren't leavin' for la-la land. Ya looked a little out of it," they grumbled anxiously. Their eyes skittered from left to right, analyzing everything that moved, their foot bouncing up and down rapidly. They watched everything with a strikingly acute awareness, cautious about any possible outcome. _They can't take this for much longer._

It was time to intervene.

"You can wait out in the car, if you want. I'll come out when they're done with me," I droned, giving the officer a stare from the corner of my eye. I don't think I've ever seen someone's attention turn so fast in my couple hours of life. Their eyes were wide and bewildered, as if I had three heads. They were about opened their mouth to object, but I beat them to it.

"N-,"

"I'll be perfectly fine. _You,_ " I whipped my head around and gave a full stern glare, "Won't be. Now go. You're starting to worry _me_ ," I interrupted with a straight face. I was not about to give any room for a debate, and I was _definitely not_ letting them suffer here just for my sake. I expected a fight, an objection, maybe even a shrug and a "nope." I didn't expect the fear that showed in their eyes.

I felt my heart clench. That ache felt familiar.

My tense shoulder's dropped and I looked away. I didn't want to see that look. That _fear._ It made my stomach churn; made it want to spit up whatever meal I had last. _Reassure them. Tell them everything is okay now. Tell them you're alright._

 _Tell them you won't do it_ …

Do what?

At that those simple words a massive headache began to sear behind my eyes, and faded as soon as it appeared. Common sense screamed to ignore it as best as I could, but all I felt was uncertainty. It crept up my fingers like a chill, and the air froze dead. Everything surrounding me went still; from the people to the hands on the clock. The light was beginning to fade, darkness creeping at the corner's of my vision. I could feel the walls shrinking and approaching; the very air that kept me alive felt suffocating, sticking to my flesh like a skintight suit. My heart began to thunder in my ears.

Breathe. Just breathe. _'Everything will be alright.'_

A deep breath in and time continued on like nothing ever happened.

"I'll be alright. Now go."

They stood up slowly, before running out the building like a shot. _'Well, wasn't t_ _hat was considerate.'_

It was now, alone in a room full of strangers, that the boredom set in full force. Twiddling-your-thumbs-boredom. It was like waiting for agony, whether it be for two minutes or twenty. Every sense became heightened, the details each picked up making me feel more and more uncomfortable in my own skin. Long forgotten tunes from a past life sat on the tip on my tongue, the words to far to even bother reaching for. The pungent smell of disinfectant became stronger and stronger with every inhale, the soapy smell of lemon now beyond irritating. Sounds blended together, becoming muffled by purposeful distractions. _Dear lord, this is hell._

"Excuse me, uhh, miss?"

I totally didn't almost scream just then. _N_ _ot at all._

The nurse who nearly gave me a heart attack stood anxiously beside me, their hands behind their back. It was easy to tell the trademark smile was stressed, so I made an effort to not appear so... ' _me?'_ Do I look scary? _Your short ass couldn't frighten a_ _bunny_ _if it tried._ ' _Shut up.'_

"Yes?" No matter how hard I try, I still sound like a robot. _Also, your shoulders don't have to be so tense, y'know._ And don't forget to breathe. _'I got it, I got it.'_

"You'll be seen now. Follow me please," they chirped quietly. It was obvious they were making quite the effort to appear hospitable, and good lord knows it's hard. I stood with a sharp nod and a small smile. The nurse turned quickly and stiffly marched along, me close on their heels. It seemed every time I managed to get a little closer, they'd speed back up again. ' _Must be busy.'_

It wasn't long before I couldn't keep up with the panicky nurse anymore. They had a some distance on me and they never bothered to check back to see if I was still following. The distance finally paid the price when a throng of people blocked my _effing way._ They scrambled by, tripping over one another; some with cameras, and others with tears and scared expressions. This peculiarity bit my ass hard, and I followed behind a new crowd.

 _Curiosity killed the cat..._

The crowd slowed to a stop after the sound of door slamming shook the air. Many with cameras dispersed away to find another story to film; while the ones with tear-stained cheeks turned away from the dark window. I took this oddly opportune moment to peek into the medical room.

First thing that caught my eye was the large amount of people in the space, each running around the dimly lit operating room while only one one worked on the person on the table. Blood covered the pastel gloves like paint, the crimson standing bright against the pale green. Someone rushed past the window and in stood front of the patient, effectively blocking my view.

What felt like a stone sunk to the bottom of my stomach. ' _I should leave.'_

 _Curiosity killed the cat..._

What harm could getting a better view do? ' _No, no I shouldn't.'_ Eh, you're right. _You could be a little sensitive to something like that, anyways._

I shifted on my heel and turned back around. _It was probably a good idea to find that nurse again._

I turned to take a step down the hallway, until I felt my blood freeze.

Gold hair. Bright gold hair. It burned my eyes just to look at it, but I couldn't seem to look away. The long locks were gorgeous, yet that wasn't why I was stuck. _I know that..._

The last thing I saw before everything disappeared were those locks of blonde hair.

My heart was beating out of my chest as I stumbled around aimlessly, my shoulder ramming into the walls of the hallway and my feet kicking things that probably shouldn't have been kicked. I felt lost, lost in the hallways of this hospital and lost in the corridors of my own head. My mind throbbed with the sound of thunder, and pain shot through every nerve like lightning. All that could see was black, with no light in the dark. All I could hear was emptiness, and it scared me the hell out of me.

The only thing that wasn't _stuffed_ silent and blocked, was the faint tingling of the crappy wallpaper at the end of my fingertips.

I followed the flat surface until I stubbed my fingers against the decorative borderline ridges. A hope bloomed in the pit of my chest, and my fingers gripped the wood indents tight. If I could see them right now, they'd probably be as white as freshly pressed paper.

When my knuckles collided with an opposing path of wood, my sight returned with a vengeance of color and my hearing turned the volume up to an odd number. After so many minutes of tripping over what I couldn't see, I don't think I had ever been so grateful for getting my senses bombarded.

I pulled my shoulders back and rolled them, the snapping of the joints more satisfying than I ever remembered; despite of how little I do remember. All pain that I felt before gone without a trace, and honestly it was screwing with my head. These headaches were getting more insane and more concerning.

It was now that I realized I was in a completely new and unfamiliar hallway of the hospital. It wasn't this foreign scenethat sent a chill down my spine, though. It was how this particular hallway had not another soul within its walls. Unusual, seeing as this is _a hospital._

Everything was too calm to be okay.

I shook my head, shaking the uncomfortable feeling sticking its claws in my back. I wanted to find out where I was, and that would require a slight amount of snooping. ' _Well, maybe snooping wasn't the most accurate of terms, but I don't really care.'_

 _Curiosity killed the cat..._

I peeked into the room ahead of me. Perhaps the room could give me a hint why or where I was. _'I am_ seriously _lost.'_ My eyes first landed on a brightly decorated vase beside the large medical bed. Dim and dying white and yellow petals flitted down from the stems within the purple container. Only a couple of flowers were left intact, but their liveliness was no longer upon their leaves. _I know those..._

My gaze drifted over and away from the dead flora; noticing the pale hand hanging off the medical bed. My gaze followed up the limb, falling on a lanky shoulder, a neck, and finally onto dark tresses.

Everything broke loose.

I couldn't feel the brisk air of the hospital upon my skin anymore. Now all I felt was people running into me, tripping over me, completely ignoring my presence among them as the rushed through what appeared to be a new corridor belonging to the hospital. It was like I wasn't even there. Was I there? Another person rammed into my shoulder, knocking me out of my daze before I could even fall into it. _'_ _Oh,_ _I_ _'m_ _definitely_ _here.'_

I whirled around to give that impolite person a piece of my mind, but they were gone in the flow of the crowd. A flow of which was parted like the Red Sea around two people. No one paid attention to them, but made it a point for them not to be touched. They looked like all the other ordinary bystanders passing by, but the amalgamated senses of warmth and coolness they seemed to project made this pair seem anything other than ordinary.

My foot seemed to move on it's own, stretching out to bring me closer to the strangers before me; hesitating before it planted itself surely on the tile. The mixed awareness was no longer hot and cold. No, that wouldn't do the feeling in the pit of my chest justice. It was as if I had been wrapped in a soft blanket of protection, and if I dared leave its security I'd be met with a defiant iron shield, hell bent on keeping its treasures safe from the outside threats. Both of these presences led back to those strangers ahead.

I could see them more clearly than before.

The shorter of the two seemed much more organized and refined in their stance, but the way they dressed put on the impression of a rebel. Straight black hair fell neatly on a cheap dark blue hoodie; ripped skinny jeans hung loose on their right leg. Their tan, sun-kissed skin appeared devoid and unhealthy; and their dark eyes were shadowed by their bangs, but shined something fearsome.

The other one's manner appeared exactly the opposite.

Laid back, was the term best to describe the taller of the two. Her shoulders were relaxed and her arms were crossed, a small smirk pulling at the edges of her lips. The way the second stood gave off an undeniable confidence, but apprehension poked at the edges of her posture. A red and black flannel was left unbuttoned, revealing a grey tee beneath it. Her brown hair was tossed to one side in a knotted, but somehow charming way. Despite the lively emotions that the second gave off, her eyes looked empty and dark despite the flecks of green in the depths.

Altogether, they were an impressionable duo that would probably never be see next to the other; at least, from what I could assume. Their presence here before me proved that assumption wrong, but I couldn't shake the idea.

They stood as still as they had before, until the taller unceremoniously broke the silence.

"Welp, I call dibs on going first."

* * *

 _...But satisfaction brought it back._

* * *

 **Ohhhhhhhhhhh I feeeel so baaad. I'm so sorry for the long wait. I could go on for hours making excuses, but half the time it was just me not feeling up to it. The other half was school kicking my bum across the earth. I was tired. So, so very tired. I am sorry. But your support kicked me back into the swing of things. Thank you for being patient and thank you for not giving up.**

 _ **I would like to thank...**_

 _ **LiVe-in-colour, MisukiTheOtaku, Guest(1), Guest(2, or are you the same person? Sorry if I get it wrong), Sorvel Decima, zRedgrave, Bee4ever, Vodid,**_ **and** ** _CarsCars2Fanatic_ FOR REVIEWING! **

_**LiVe-in-colour:**_ **I'm glad ya like it! And nah, that's too predictable. I like to throw everyone for a loop in an unnecessarily complicated way that alters the story as it is. But at the end of it, Beth will always have her child-safe potty mouth.**

 _ **MisukiTheOtaku:**_ **Do not fret! The real Ironhide is coming soon... very soon (insert villain laugh here).**

 _ **Guest(1):**_ **She won't be entirely** ** _different_ , if we're gettin' technical here; but don't think for a second something interesting won't happen.**

 _ **Guest(2):**_ ***Sweats nervously* Y-yeah, tha-** ** _that's_ TOTALLY what happens. _Ohhhh boy_ , y-you got me!**

 _ **Sorvel Decima(that's such a cool name):**_ **This chapter probably didn't help solve anything, did it? Sorry. Also very, very sorry for not updating sooner.**

 _ **zRedgrave: ***_ **Bursts into tears*** ** _Ahhhhh, I'm so sooorrrrry._ But if it's of any note, 'Hide is gonna make an appearance soon! _Please forgive meeeeeh._**

 _ **Bee4ever:**_ **N-n-nailed it! Yeah, Lucy has quite a field day handling** ** _feels,_ which is a vibrant contrast to Beth is literally _is feels._ No logic in Beth's brain. Not a single bit. **

_**Vodid:**_ **I... I never thought about it like that. Huh. That's a great way to see it. Very encouraging, too. I thought I went a little overboard with the complexities. And concerning Ironhide... it's not at all what you'll be expecting.** ** _Muahaha._**

 _ **CarsCars2Fanatic:**_ **Ayy, mysterious was what aiming for! Whooohoo! Switching subjects, better hold on, the next chapter is going to be a bumpy ride!**

 **Before I go, I have a question for you guys. I have discovered a way to edit previous chapters of which their original files had be deleted, thus granting the ability for them to be revised. Buuuut in a way, the crappiness of those earlier chapters is important in a very, very special and crudely unique way. Two ways actually. But I'll get to that later. So do you guys want me to edit and revise the previous chapters (which will put the story on a hiatus) or continue on?**

 **I'll see you guys soon! Thanks for sticking with me!**

 _~Adamas out_


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